KUCHING: Five shophouses built before the Second World War were destroyed in a fire that broke out just after noon here today.
The Fire and Rescue Department said two shops selling furniture at Ewe Hai Street, in the old part of the city, were destroyed while two others suffered partial damage.
The fifth shop only suffered 30 per cent damage.
The fire also destroyed a car and a motorcycle parked on the street.
There were no casualties in the fire.
The Fire Department said they were alerted by a member of the public at 1.44pm. Firefighters from the nearby Padungan station were deployed.They were later joined by firemen and equipment from the Batu Lintang and Tabuan Jaya stations.
The department also deployed an aerial ladder platform (ALP) to bring the fire under control in an hour.
Ewe Hai is a short section of the well-known Carpenter Street.
The street during the Brooke administration was where all the furniture shops were located.
It's also a part of the city that is always teeming with foreign tourists attracted to the many backpack hotels, souvenir shops and temples, some dating back to the late 1800s.