BUTTERWORTH: The fireworks stall in Nibong Tebal, Penang that went up in flames recently has had its permit cancelled.
Seberang Prai City Council (MBSP) mayor Datuk Baderul Amin Abdul Hamid said the council took immediate action after a fire broke out at the stall in Taman Pekaka after a fire broke out on Sunday (March 22).
"We have canceled their permit.
"We are conducting checks on other fireworks stalls in the surrounding area to ensure safety.
"We have always conducted checks but have now intensified monitoring of similar outlets.
"We have introduced tighter safety requirements to prevent a recurrence," he told The Star when contacted on Monday (March 23).
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Baderul said the stall involved had a permit from MBSP to operate from Feb 19 to Tuesday (March 24).
"While the incident is being investigated by the Fire and Rescue Department and we await the official report, we have revoked their permit.
"To avoid such incidents from recurring we have now introduced conditions for those operating fireworks stalls.
"Every stall must have a fire extinguisher on hand at all times and must have valid insurance coverage," he said.
He added that other appropriate safety conditions will be added from time to time.
"Our priority has always been to ensure public safety and we will do this through stricter monitoring and enforcement.
"MBSP takes this incident seriously and is committed to ensuring that public safety levels are always guaranteed through stricter monitoring and enforcement," he said.
The midnight fire led to various shops nearby, including an eatery, having to pull down their shutters to keep stray sparks out.
A viral 15-second video showed the eatery operators rushing to close the shutters while dodging fireworks at the entrance.
While no casualties were reported, the stall and a motorcycle were destroyed.
Penang Fire and Rescue Department assistant operations director John Sagun Francis said the 3m by 3m stall was 95% destroyed.
"The fire also spread to three external air-conditioning units at a nearby house," he said.
