KUALA TERENGGANU, Sept 19 — The cause of the fire involving a row of 12 shophouses in Kampung Cina here will only be known in about two days’ time, said Terengganu Disaster Committee deputy chairman Hanafiah Mat.
He said the extent of losses is still under investigation by the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department forensic unit.
“For initial assistance, the government today presented RM1,000 to each victim (household head) and subsequently we will look into whatever assistance is needed to be channelled to the victims involved.
“Some of the premises involved were built on state land, so we need to look into what kind of assistance can be provided,” he told reporters after visiting the location of the incident here today.
According to him, usually, fire victims who are landowners qualify to receive assistance to rebuild their homes worth RM60,000, whereas those who do not own the land are given RM25,000.
“As most victims are traders, we will discuss with the (Terengganu) Municipal Council to find a temporary site for them to continue conducting their businesses,” he said.
Hanafiah also said that traders involved in the incident can also seek assistance from the Terengganu Entrepreneur Development Foundation (YPU).
In the incident last night, the fire and rescue unit took nearly 10 hours to extinguish the fire involving the 12 shophouses which included textiles shops, restaurants, jewellery shop and inns in Jalan Bandar, Kampung Cina.
It is believed that four families living in the shophouses were not able to save any of their things except the clothes on their backs as the fire spread quickly.
The fire department said it encountered some difficulty in extinguishing the fire due to the windy weather conditions, causing the fire to spread easily in addition to the building being partly made of wood. — Bernama
