Operations at the Selangor Wholesale Market continue as normal despite a fire destroying three shoplots, with a modern replacement market planned for next year.
SERDANG: It’s business as usual at the Selangor Wholesale Market, under the management of the Selangor Agricultural Development Corporation (PKPS), here despite three shoplots being destroyed in a fire that broke out last night.
Selangor Agriculture Committee chairman Datuk Izham Hashim said the three premises were a shop selling kitchenware, an egg wholesaler and a hardware shop.
“On behalf of PKPS, which manages the Selangor Wholesale Market operations, I would like to state that operations here have not been affected. Other premises are operating as usual, and I can see that all the other shops are open for business,” he told reporters at the market here today.
Commenting on future plans for the Selangor Wholesale Market, he said the state government is finalising plans to replace it with a modern supermarket, with construction expected to begin early next year.
He added that the project to redevelop the biggest wholesale market under the management of PKPS would focus specifically on centralised business facilities and better compliance with building safety aspects.
Yesterday’s blaze, which broke out at around 11 pm, was put out at 6.20 am today, thanks to the quick actions of 68 Selangor Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) personnel, with the help of the personnel from the Volunteer Firefighting Team, the police and the Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ).
Selangor JBPM Operations Division assistant director Ashrul Riezal Asbar expects the report on the cause of the fire to be completed within 14 days after the start of the forensic investigations, adding that no casualties were reported in the fire.
Meanwhile, the owner of the kitchenware premises that was destroyed in the fire, Lee Chee Leong, 42, said he received a call about the blaze from one of his workers at about 11 pm, and he arrived at the scene about 20 minutes later.
He said his workers had no time to fight the fire as it spread swiftly.
“When I arrived, the fire was already raging, and nobody could even get in,” he said.
Lee, who has been doing business at the premises for the past 18 years, estimated his losses at millions of ringgit.
