GEORGE TOWN: Twenty-three people were left with only the clothes on their backs after four single-storey squatter houses were destroyed in a fire in Tanjung Tokong early Tuesday (March 3). Penang Fire and Rescue Department assistant operations director John Sagun Francis said the department received a distress call at 3.14am. The first fire engine from the Bagan Jermal Fire and Rescue Station arrived seven minutes later. The four houses were occupied by 23 residents – 10 men, six women and seven children – from Malay and Rohingya families. All the occupants managed to escape safely after realising a fire had broken out, and no injuries were reported.

Source: The Star March 03, 2026 07:03 UTC