A warehouse fire in Kota Baru, Malaysia, destroyed 76.8 tons of mandarin oranges intended for the Chinese New Year market, affecting regional supply ahead of the festive period. The fire broke out at a warehouse along Jalan Kebun Sultan at around 9:00 pm.
According to warehouse manager Hong Leng Feng, the facility supplied mandarin oranges to a wide range of retailers in Kelantan. "All these mandarin oranges were supplied for the whole of Kelantan, with most supermarkets in Kota Baru sourcing their stock from this warehouse," he told reporters at the site.
The warehouse had been operating for about 40 years and was completely destroyed in the incident. Hong said the loss is expected to affect mandarin orange availability for this year's Chinese New Year celebrations. "Besides mandarin oranges, all onion supplies stored in the warehouse were also destroyed," he added.
The Kelantan Fire and Rescue Department received an emergency call through the NG999 system at 9:09 pm, according to assistant director of operations Mohd Fadhlizil Iqram Ahmad Pauzi. Fire crews arrived at the scene at 9:16 pm and found the building fully engulfed.
Fire-fighting operations involved personnel from the Kota Baru Fire and Rescue Station, supported by teams from Kota Darulnaim, Tunjung, and Pengkalan Chepa, as well as a water tanker. Efforts were complicated by the collapse of storage racks inside the warehouse, which required the use of a skylift during operations.
Fadhlizil said investigations are ongoing into the cause of the fire and the total value of the losses. In addition to stored produce, two lorries and two motorcycles were destroyed, and all goods inside the warehouse were fully gutted.
The incident removes a central distribution point for mandarin oranges in Kelantan during the seasonal peak, with potential implications for wholesale supply chains in the region.
Source: New Straits Times
