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Langkawi Nature Blogs
Fire Destroys 18 Shophouses In Langkawi
Mark: 9 Sep 2010 / Bernama, Letter of a resident
Pictures: Patrick of Langkawi Link and Langkawi Gazette
Eighteen shophouses in Kelibang, Kuah, were destroyed in a pre-dawn fire Thursday.
Why was the fire so big? Why couldn't it be put out when it was still small?
Here is a letter from a resident:
"Wanna know truth why so many shop houses burned last night at Kelibang? It started in a small furniture shop but couldn't be stopped for more than 2 hours by the Bomba because there was NO WATER in the fire hydrant! right in front of the hardware store!!!!
Check it out, everyone knows and Bomba tried using the little river with so low water pressure! Millions of dollars of damage happened but could have been much less if there would have been water in the fire hydrant! How many hydrants are like this in Langkawi?? Scary! . . . Maybe you can write on your website about this as it is a serious problem. "
I myself saw the Bobma taking water out of the little river still more than 10 hours after the fire had started.... (probabluy to be ready in regard to the still smoldering parts of the site).
Langkawi Fire and Rescue Department chief Yaakob Hassan said the department received the emergency call at 1.54am and dispatched four fire engines and 42 firemen to the scene.
They took two hours to put out the fire, he said.
Among those destroyed were a bookstore, a motorcycle workshop and a hardware shop.
There were no lives lost - beside a little dog who did not survive it.
Comments
Thanks John by Mark on 14 Sep 2010, 9:04 pm
I must admit I have not more information - so don't want to make anyone responsible. But I think it is important that things are in the open which probably is a first step to change for the better.
by Bob Talbot on 21 Oct 2010, 4:29 pm
That area was like a honeycomb- I would be interested to know how many people were displaced.Poor dog- how sad !
by John on 11 Sep 2010, 12:38 pm
Well once again another nail in Langkawis infrastructure,Speaking as an ex Fireman from J B HOW ON EARTH could this have happened ,Knowing how the system should work Hydrants should be checked on a regular basis and documented in the Station task book,When if at all was it last checked and what about the Tenders on board water supply ?no mention of that!
It seems that to a casual observer ,that the authorities are quite happy to revel in the fact that Langkawi is a geopark island and awarded fat tourist status but are unwilling to maintain the geopark streetlights and the geopark beaches and clear the geopark rubbish and fix the geopark pavements . Sorry about the little dog,if not for the lack of water and the apathy of those responsible it might be still with us!