Firefighters required more than 10 hours to fully extinguish a rubbish dump blaze at a recycling plant in Bukit Mertajam, Penang.
The fire engulfed paper waste and cardboard in an open factory area at the Permatang Tinggi Industrial Area. Emergency crews received the call at 1.54pm on 24 April.
Upon arrival, the team found the fire engulfing a pile of paper waste and cardboard in an open factory area spanning an estimated 3,716.12 square metres.
The fire was brought under control at 3.36pm and extinguished 10 minutes later, but operations only wrapped up at 12.04am the following day after overhaul work confirmed no hot spots remained.
Penang Fire and Rescue Department Deputy Fire Operations Director John Sagun Francis said the blaze caused approximately 80 per cent damage to the plant.
Crews from Bukit Mertajam fire station led the response, supported by teams from Sungai Bakap, Batu Kawan and Bandar Perda. Eleven volunteer fire brigades also assisted, along with an excavator used to break up burning waste piles.
No worker injuries or fatalities were reported in the incident.
Source: BERNAMA
