150926 Brunei Fire destroys department store in Seria
Brunei Sep 26 2015 “Stores”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 1 to 29 Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Fire destroys department store in Seria
Updated: 2015-09-26
Firefighters trying to put out the fire that broke out at a shophouse in Pekan Seria yesterday.
A crowd of bystanders watching as firefighters battle the blaze at the shophouse
Fire and Rescue personnel fighting the fire
A FIRE broke out yesterday afternoon at a shophouse in the heart of Pekan Seria, destroying a department store and causing damage to a mobile phone shop and a jewellery store.
The blaze produced thick, black smoke that could be seen from miles away as it raged for about six hours.
The Fire and Rescue Department’s Belait District Branch ‘B Operations said that it received a report at about 2.30pm that a small fire had broken out in one of the department stores in the town.
Large crowds of bystanders gathered to watch the drama as 54 firefighters who arrived in 10 fire engines battled the inferno.
In an interview at 7pm yesterday, the Commanding Officer of the Belait District Branch ‘B’ Operations said when the firefighters arrived shortly after the emergency call, they were informed that the fire had gone out of control.
Four two-storey shop units were affected by the fire which left two units housing the department store destroyed along with everything inside of it.
The other two units housing a mobilephone store and a jewellery store located next to the departments store suffered mainly water damage on their ground floors but their first floors were damaged by the fire.
By 8.47pm, the commanding officer said that the fire had been put out but personnel kept watch on parts of the building that were still smouldering.
Asked when the unaffected shop units could resume business operations, the commanding officer said, “The gas lines and the electrical lines in the building must be inspected first. The business owners will be notified when it is safe to resume their operations.”
At press time, the cause of the fire and the estimated loss are yet to be determined.
Web Source: Borneo Bulletin
http://borneobulletin.com.bn/fire-destroys-department-store-in-seria/