BRINCHANG: Cameron Highland’s famed Time Tunnel was almost burnt down on Sunday night after a row of shop lots caught fire.
The Sunday fire completely destroyed the adjacent buildings including a sundry shop and a fruit store, leaving little but black smoke and debris in its wake.
The founder of Time Tunnel, See Kok Shan, said his private museum was 90 per cent intact.
“It was a close shave, the firemen managed to put out the flames just in time.
“There are some damages but the museum should be up and running again in a month’s time,” he told the New Straits Times.
One another note, See dismissed rumours that the Time Tunnel would be gone in the near future.
There was talk of dismantling or relocating the building to make way for a hotel on the piece of land where the Time Tunnel currently sits.
The Time Tunnel is located along Jalan Sungai Burung and it is about 1.5km from Brinchang.
See opened the Time Tunnel in February 2007 after visiting small, private museums in the British countryside, which inspired him.
At the Time Tunnel, visitors can travel back in time as the museum is filled with pictures of Cameron Highlands from as far back at the 1950s till today.
The old photos include that of the Convent Primary School building in Tanah Rata, which used to be the British Military Hospital.
The story about the Thailand's “King of Silk” Jim, who disappeared in 1967, is also displayed here under the headline “What Really Happened To Jim Thompson?”.
It is also filled with memorabilia such as old school textbooks, jewellery, posters, and soda bottles.
According to a spokesperson from the Pahang Fire and Rescue Department, the fire is believed to have started due to faulty wiring.