After Fire Destroyed the Shophouses at Kota Permai

The ceiling and metal roofing and air-conditioner compressors burnt

State Executive Officer for Welfare, Mr Phee Boon Poh expressed his concern to the business proprietor

Roof gone and windows shattered

Clearing the mess at the back lane

Cracks appeared on the ceiling on the first floor of the building

Scene at the back lane with terrace residential houses on the right

Bulldozer to clear and compress the metal roofing

Scrap metals salvaged

At the back entrance

A temporary lamp lits up the room to help the workers to clear the mess

Smokes still can be seen blowing out of the top corner

The door frames left standing with glass panels broken

Look like a bird nest on the right

Two fire engines seen on standby and continue pumping waters into the building to cool it

Fire Investigating team briefing the VIP visitors

Windows hacked

Workers helping to clear up

After the fire was put under control the next day after more than 12 hours, there were still smokes coming out from the heaps of burnt items.  The Fire Services Department deployed their teams and two fire engines to the scene on standby and still pumping water into the three units of shop-house selling toys that were destroyed by the fire.  During the fire, there were at least 15 units of fire engines and support vehicles such as skylifts and at least 100 firemen from the Voluntary Fire Units from the various towns in Penang, and nearby Parit Buntar and Lunas fighting the fire along with the Fire Services Department teams.

The proprietor of the building and business were there with a group of workers and helpers salvaging whatever assets they could.  The elected representatives of the constituency and the State Executive Office for welfare, Mr Tan Cheong Teong and Mr Phee Boon Poh were seen visiting the sites and spoke to the Fire Department Investigating Officers and showed their sympathy and concerns for the business proprietor.


The fire is very destructive and can be seen from here that assets were destroyed.  In order to prevent fire, everyone has to be mindful of the safety in our workplace and most importantly at our home.  Prevention is better than fire-fighting. Educating the young ones right from our youngest family members are crucial.  So remember, DO NOT PLAY WITH FIRE which is the warning and advice which our parents instilled in us.

Clearing up the mess after the fire is dangerous as there are many broken glasses and sharp metal objects and debris strewn all over the places.  The smoke and gases emitted are hazardous to our health and body. Safety precautions have to be taken by the salvage workers and helpers.

The losses through fire accidents and destruction are huge not only in terms of monetary values but also the loss of jobs and loss of lives too as a consequence of the fire. It goes beyond the the physical loss as there are people who were injured and left with fire burnt marks and scars permanently on their body to remind them of their misfortunes.  The worst situation are the people who suffer from trauma and phobia when they escaped from such accidents. I sympathize with the victims of fire and related misfortunes.

There are many heroic stories we heard about firemen rescuing properties and human lives like the ones who sacrificed their very own lives to save others such as the incidents during the September 11 attacks in the United States of America some years ago.

The financial losses due to fire can be mitigated by the business proprietors by taking up comprehensive Fire Insurance policy for commercial goods and stock assets, machinery and equipment, office equipment, furniture, fixture and fittings, building properties.
Individuals house owners can insure the home building by taking up House-owner insurance policy and for contents by taking a House-holder insurance policy .

In the event of a claimable accident and covered perils of the Fire Insurance Policy under, the insured can file for claims.  The submission for claims with completed essential documents will expedite claim processing by the loss adjusters and underwriters. 

By the way, I am your local insurance agent with global insurers who can help insure your properties and assets here and abroad.  We have many risks management program to meet your needs and other financial planning tools to help you achieve your financial goals.  Our global associates can help you too if your company are operating worldwide.

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