Fire razes shophouses in Butterworth (Updated)

BUTTERWORTH: A fire destroyed four shop units at Jalan Heng Choon Thian, Bagan Luar here, last night.

Two of the shops sold auto spare parts. Penang Fire and Rescue Department spokesperson said the department had received a distress call from the public about the incident at 9.31pm.
A team of 27 firemen from three Fire and Rescue stations, which are Butterworth, Perai and Perda, with two water tankers and a fire engine, arrived at the scene within three minutes.
They were equipped with two water tankers and a fire engine.
By the time they arrived, the blaze had destroyed about 80% of all the shops.
"The team managed to prevent the fire from spreading to other premises and nearby homes. It was fully doused about two hours later," he told journalists here.
He said that the department was investigating the cause and to also determine the losses incurred by the four shop owners.