MBKS probes dry hose, locked-away extinguishers after Stutong Market vehicle fire raises concerns

By Karen Bong

KUCHING, Sept 5: Kuching South City Council (MBKS) is investigating concerns over the readiness of emergency firefighting equipment at Stutong Market following a vehicle fire on Thursday (Sept 3), with Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng saying the council will await a report from those responsible before drawing any conclusions.

Speaking during his ShallWeeTalk live session today, Wee said the council had directed the relevant personnel to investigate the incident and submit a report on the circumstances surrounding the fire, including concerns over the availability and accessibility of firefighting equipment.

“Several fire extinguishers at the market have gone missing. This is an internal security issue, and we have directed those responsible to investigate and submit a report,” he said.

Wee was responding to Padungan assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen, who questioned the readiness of emergency firefighting equipment at public markets after witnessing a trader’s vehicle being destroyed by fire at Stutong Market on Thursday.

According to Chong in a social media post, he and members of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak team were distributing N95 face masks at the market when they saw the vehicle engulfed in flames.

He claimed that attempts to extinguish the blaze were hampered by a fire hose with no water supply, while fire extinguishers were not readily accessible as they were kept inside an office.

Chong described the situation as unacceptable and urged MBKS to conduct a thorough review of the incident, including an immediate inspection of all fire hoses, fire extinguishers and other emergency firefighting equipment at markets under its jurisdiction.

While acknowledging the concerns raised, Wee stressed that the cause of the fire itself must also be established.

“While concerns have been raised about the firefighting equipment, we must also determine why the vehicle caught fire in the first place and what exactly happened,” he said.

He said it would be premature to speculate on the matter before the investigation was completed.

“It would be premature to draw conclusions before the investigation is completed and the report is submitted,” he added.

The fire reportedly broke out at about 5am and was eventually extinguished by firefighters who responded to the scene. MBKS councillors were also present to assist and are expected to visit the affected hawker to check on their well-being and assess what assistance can be provided, including help with lodging a police report and other related matters. — DayakDaily

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