TAMPARULI: Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) estimates a staggering RM40 million loss due to a fire at its electrical cable storage facility in Batu 7, Jalan Tuaran, Tamparuli, Sabah First Info reported.
The incident, which occurred on April 4, involved underground cables, with the cause still to be fully determined.
SESB CEO Mohd Yaakob Jaafar said that the preliminary assessment points to damage involving over 500 underground cables.
"Our initial estimation of the loss is over RM40 million. While the cause is yet to be determined, early suspicions point to the hot weather, as the cable drums are made of wood," he said during the Seikhlas Budi Sesuci Ramadan SESB event at the Ubudiyyah Mosque in Tamparuli.
Earlier reports indicated that the SESB's electrical cable storage facility caught fire around 12.50pm. The Operations Centre of the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department in Sabah was alerted to the emergency at 12.56pm.
Firefighters from the Lintas Fire and Rescue Station, with support from Kota Kinabalu and Penampang stations, were dispatched to the site, located six kilometres away. The fire engulfed a 0.4-hectare area stacked with SESB's electrical cables.