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A FIRE tore through a long-established wholesale and retail warehouse storing fruits and grocery goods along Jalan Kebun Sultan here on Sunday night, destroying nearly all contents of the premises and prompting a large, multi-station firefighting response.
The warehouse manager, Hong Lee Feng, said he had only just arrived home when he was alerted to the fire shortly after 9 pm.
“I had only been home for an hour before I was jolted awake by a phone call informing me that there was a fire next to our warehouse,” he said.
Lee Feng said he rushed to the scene immediately, where he was confronted by flames already engulfing the building.
“Seeing the condition of the fire burning the factory, I could not think of anything because the warehouse was full of fruits as well as grocery goods,” he said.
He said large quantities of stock had been stored at the premises since December last year, including vehicles kept inside the warehouse.
“Grocery items and various fruits have been stored since December last year and it can be said that there was indeed a lot in the factory, including six lorries and two motorcycles,” he said.
“Even supplies of mandarin oranges for Chinese New Year totalling 76.8 tonnes, which had been stored since December, were all destroyed. Apart from mandarin oranges, various other types of fruits were also in the warehouse,” he added.
Lee Feng said it was still too early to determine the total losses.
“I do not know the value of the losses because I do not know what is safe. At the time of the incident the warehouse was already empty and more than 20 workers had gone home since 8 pm,” he said.
He added that the warehouse had been operating for more than four decades and supplied produce to over 30 supermarkets throughout Kelantan.
“Goods from this warehouse are sent to more than 30 supermarkets in Kelantan,” he said.
Kelantan Fire and Rescue Department assistant director of operations, Senior Fire Superintendent II Mohd Fadhlizil Ikram Ahmad Pauzi, said his department received an emergency call at 9.09 pm.
“Fire engines involving four stations were rushed to the scene, namely Kota Darulnaim, Tunjong, Pengkalan Chepa and Kota Bharu,” he said.
He said firefighting efforts were hampered by access constraints, particularly at the rear of the warehouse.
“The operation was slightly difficult because it was hard for us to enter to carry out extinguishing work at the rear area of the warehouse,” he said.
Mohd Fadhlizil Ikram confirmed that the damage to the warehouse contents was extensive.
“The goods in the warehouse can be said to be almost one hundred per cent destroyed,” he said. -February 2, 2026