IPOH, March 11 — The 108 workers of the Mydin Manjoi hypermarket here, which was gutted by fire last night, will be temporarily relocated to the Meru Raya branch, said Mydin Mohamed Holdings Berhad managing director Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin.

He said the company would do its best to protect the welfare of the workers, who have been serving for between five and 12 years.

"They have commitments too. Although we are facing testing times, we should not make it any harder for our workers,” he told reporters when inspecting the Mydin Manjoi premises here today.

In a statement today, the company announced that the Mydin hypermarket in Manjoi will be closed from today until further notice.

The 7pm blaze destroyed part of the two-storey building but there were no casualties.

Ameer Ali assured the people that his company would not leave Kampung Manjoi although the building was badly damaged and is at risk of collapsing.

"We will wait for a full report from the Fire and Rescue Department before deciding whether there is a need to demolish the building and rebuild,” he said.

He expressed relief that no one was hurt in the fire. — Bernama