A major fire in Kota Bharu has destroyed 76.8 tonnes of mandarin oranges and onions, threatening Chinese New Year supplies for Kelantan.
KOTA BHARU: A fire has destroyed 76.8 tonnes of mandarin oranges intended for Chinese New Year supplies at a warehouse along Jalan Kebun Sultan, last night.
Warehouse manager Hong Leng Feng said he was alerted to the incident by nearby residents.
“All these mandarin oranges were supplies for the whole of Kelantan, with most supermarkets in Kota Bharu sourcing their stock from this warehouse,” he said.
He stated the 40-year-old warehouse was completely destroyed, which is expected to affect this year’s festive supply.
All onion supplies stored at the premises were also lost in the blaze.
The Kelantan Fire and Rescue Department received an emergency call at 9.09pm via the NG999 system.
Assistant Director of Operations Mohd Fadhlizil Iqram Ahmad Pauzi said the first team arrived at the scene by 9.16pm.
Firefighting operations were conducted by personnel from the Kota Bharu station with assistance from three other stations.
The cause of the fire and total losses are still under investigation.
Operations required a skylift due to difficulties entering after storage racks collapsed.
Two lorries and two motorcycles were also destroyed in the incident.
