Furniture shop at Taman Kampar Perdana set ablaze
By EDMUND LEE TATT WENG
Kampar, September 15 - The series of arson attacks in Taman Kampar Perdana over the past few weeks has now given way to bigger and bolder fires.
This time around, it involved a furniture shop in Jalan Perdana which was almost burnt down.
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| A thick smoke had started to spread in front the shop in the vicinity nearby the scene |
After a spate of arson attacks in Taman Kampar Perdana, the culprit is still at large. It could not be verified if the series of arson attacks had anything to do with the fire at the furniture shop.
However, the police has yet to conclude the cause of the fire and further investigations is pending.
This is the 16th case of deliberate fire in Taman Kampar Perdana and is the most serious incident thus far.
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| The onlookers saw the incident nearby the fire scene |
The fire allegedly started around 7pm after the glass behind the back door of the furniture shop had been broken into.
Around 7.10pm, the fire department in Kampar received a distress call and reached the scene 10 minutes later.
The blaze was contained within 15 minutes after the firemen's arrival.
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| Two firemen putting out the fire. |
According to Kampar OCPD Supt Abdul Aziz Salleh, police had detained a man for further investigations pertaining the fire which broke out.
However, when asked by the press, he stated that the fire might not be the work of the infamous Taman Kampar Pedana arsonist, and could possibly be a copycat.
The burnt down furniture shop owner Chuoa Chiung Xing, 25 was very distressed about the incident.
“I suspect this is probably work of the arsonist as the glass behind the shop had been broken. I believe this might have allowed something to be thrown into the shop.
“At the sight of the fire, I asked my workers to helped put it out. However, their efforts proved futile and the fire quickly spread to the front”, said the shop owner who's from Ipoh.
When asked about the damages incurred, Chuoa mentioned that the fire cost him around RM 30,000 as most of the furniture-making materials were destroyed.
Chuoa also added that business would be operating as usual after the incident as only the store area was burnt down.
“Luckily it’s only the store room which was burnt and the fire did not spread to the whole shop,” said Chuoa after the incident.
Another witness who spotted the incident was ADUN Malim Nawar Keshvinder Singh who was passing through the area during the time.
“When I passed by the area, I saw a thick smoke coming out from the shop. Without thinking so much, I quickly alerted other residents in the area and help to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher.”
Taman Kampar Perdana has been labeled ‘Taman Bakar’ after a spate of continuous arson attacks in the past few weeks.
Another eyewitness, a student who was having dinner at a restaurant near the scene said he heard a loud explosion.
“I rushed out to the scene and saw a thick smoke had accumulate behind the shop,” stated the student who declined to be named.
Residents of Taman Kampar Perdana are adviced by police and RELA personnel to stay vigilant and lock their main door at all times to avoid untoward incidences.
This warning also extends to all housing areas in Kampar including Westlake.
