10 cars damaged in fire at JB City Square car park

JOHOR BAHRU – Ten cars were damaged in a fire at the Basement 2 car park of Johor Bahru City Square (JBCC) shopping centre here on Tuesday afternoon.

Senior Operations Commander Suhaimi Jamal said eight of the vehicles were 80 to 90 per cent destroyed, while the other two suffered 20 to 30 per cent damage.

He said the incident occurred at about 3.40pm, with the Operations Response Team (PKO), along with a Fire Rescue Tender (FRT) and an Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) vehicle, arriving at the scene six minutes later.

“Upon arrival at the scene, the PKO confirmed that a fire had broken out in the shopping centre’s Basement 2 car park.

“Checks found that about 10 vehicles in the affected area had caught fire,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Suhaimi said the firefighting operation involved two 300-foot hose lines connected to the building’s fire protection system and fire engine pumps.

Earlier, a Singaporean woman was among three people who experienced breathing difficulties after a car caught fire in the shopping centre’s basement car park.

The incident also resulted in a local woman being rushed to hospital for further treatment.

“Three women, aged 35, 48 and 57, suffered breathing difficulties. The 57-year-old was a Singaporean,” he said.

He added that the operation involved 40 personnel from the Larkin, Tebrau and Kempas Fire and Rescue Stations, as well as the Mount Austin Volunteer Fire Brigade.