GEORGE TOWN — Five business premises at the iconic Chew Jetty heritage area here were destroyed in a fire that broke out early this morning.

Northeast District Zone 1 operations officer Rosli Ibrahim said no casualties were reported in the incident.

He said the Penang Fire and Rescue Department received a distress call at 1.08am, after which firefighters arrived at the scene about two minutes later.

“The fire involved five premises, including a car workshop, welding shop and timber factory. Firefighting operations were still ongoing as of 3 am, but the blaze has since been brought under control.

“Firefighters’ swift action helped save a nearby petrol station and prevented the fire from spreading to nearby residential areas,” he said when met at the scene today.

Rosli said the operation involved 30 personnel from the Paya Terubong, Jalan Perak and Lebuh Pantai fire and rescue stations, assisted by 17 volunteer firefighters, Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) personnel and police.

He said the cause of the fire and extent of the damage were still being investigated.