GEORGE TOWN: Firefighters are struggling to put out a fire that has razed about 1.2ha of the Batu Lanchang Chinese cemetery in Penang on Sunday (Jan 16).
The fire also prompted Seri Delima assemblyman Syerleena Abdul Rashid to advise residents living near the cemetery to take precautions.
"Fire happening in Batu Lanchang cemetery. Bomba has been notified and is currently trying their best to put out the fire. Meanwhile, to those living close by, please shut all windows and doors," she said in a Facebook post.
A state Fire and Rescue Department spokesperson said the department received a distress call at about 2.20pm and a total of 16 firefighters were deployed to the scene.
"The firemen have been battling the fire at the cemetery since 2.30pm," he said, adding that the firemen were from Paya Terubong and Jalan Perak fire stations.
This is not the first time the cemetery has caught fire.
In 2017, about 0.4ha of the cemetery ground was burned and in 2021, fire razed the cemetery at about the same spot.
