GEORGE TOWN: Prompt action by firemen prevented what would have been a major disaster after a fire broke out in a temple and three shophouses located next to the Chew Jetty settlement here this morning.
The Lebuh Pantai Fire and Rescue Department was alerted to the fire at about 8.51am today.
At the height of the fire, heavy plumes of smoke could be seen billowing from afar.
Operations officer Shafie Mohd Safar said when they arrived at the scene, the structures were about 40 per cent gutted.
"We managed to control the flames by 9.15am before the fire was subsequently put out with the help of firefighters from the Jalan Perak and Paya Terubong stations.
"The cause of the fire is still under investigations," he said.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident.
Pengkalan Kota assemblyman Daniel Gooi said his office was in the process of helping in the next phase of the recovery process.
Chew Jetty is one of six wooden Clan Jetties in George Town, comprising floating villages on stilts that are currently inhabited by members of Penang's Chinese immigrant community.
It was one of five wooden jetties, constructed in 1888 as part of a development project on the quay side in George Town, with two other wooden jetties built in the same area in the 1960s. However, one of the jetties burnt down, leaving only six.
Today, Chew Jetty, the largest and most intact of the clan jetties, is one of the popular tourist attractions in Penang.