IPOH: The entertainment outlet which was engulfed in a fire that killed six people early today was originally planned as an office building.
Perak acting Fire and Rescue Department director Sayani Saidon said it was not known if the entertainment outlet owner had changed the status of the Times Square building to operate it as such.
“I was informed that the original plan of the building was a property office building. After the property office building owner sold to the present owner, we did not receive the plan for building amendments.
“The original plan that we have is an office building owned by Team Keris Properties but it was sold,” she said when met at the scene here today.
During the 5.30am fire, six people including three foreigners were killed. Two people are currently receiving treatment at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital here.
The three local men have been identified as Tai Chee Kin, 37; Lau Wai Hoong, 36 and Chooi Keng Heem, 31. Meanwhile, the three foreigners have been identified as Nguyen Thi Trang, 31, and Nguyen Thi Thuy Dhong, 21, from Vietnam and Johirul Islam, 26 from Bangladesh.
Sayani said investigations were ongoing to ascertain if the owners had come out with an amended plan.
“If we see the building from inside, it definitely looks like an office, equipped with hose reels and smoke detectors,” she said, adding that the department received a distress call on the incident at 5.49am.
She said the fire broke out in the fourth floor of the building which has 15 karaoke rooms and during the rescue operation, eight people managed to escape by going up to the fifth floor.
“Eight victims were taken down using the stairs, two of whom suffered from breathing difficulties. They were sent to the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital for further treatment,” she said.
She said checks on the fourth floor showed that two local men were killed due to breathing difficulties from smoke inhalation.
“Four more victims in the remaining rooms included two Vietnamese women, a Bangladeshi man and a local man,” she said.
Asked if the entertainment outlet was operating when the fire happened, Sayani said it was chaos during rescue time.
“We could not be sure if the premises was in operation or it had already closed, but based on the situation at the scene we believe it was still operating. We are still investigating the cause of the fire,” she said, adding that the operation involved 50 firemen from Ipoh, Pasir Puteh and Meru Raya, as well as policemen.
Meanwhile, police were investigating if the entertainment outlet had extended its operating hours on the night of the incident.
Deputy district police chief Superintendent Mohamad Nordin Abdullah said police would investigate the case from every angle.
“Should the entertainment outlet have extended their operating hours, action will be taken. At this moment, we are still investigating the case and we will wait for an official report from the Fire and Rescue Department to complete the investigation paper,” he said when met at the scene.
Nordin added that police were also identifying the families of the victims who were killed during the fire.