SIBU: Quick action by firefighters helped avert a potentially serious situation after a fire erupted at an asphalt mixing plant in SEDC Premix, Jalan Ulu Oya here on Sunday, involving storage tanks containing highly flammable materials.
Fortunately, the fire was quickly extinguished by the plant’s workers at around 11 am before first responders arrived.
The Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) said the incident involved two bitumen (asphalt) storage tanks, with capacities of 44 tonnes and 51 tonnes respectively.
Firefighters from Sungai Merah and Sibu Jaya stations were dispatched to the scene, about 14km away, following an emergency call.
Upon arrival, they found one tank had been affected by about 20 per cent, while the other sustained about 30 per cent fire damage.
Recognising the high risk posed by residual heat and flammable materials, firefighters donned full protective gear and breathing apparatus before carrying out cooling operations on both tanks to prevent re-ignition.
The situation was brought under control within 30 minutes and continuous monitoring was conducted to ensure there were no remaining sources of fire.
Once the situation was deemed safe, the operation ended at 12.04 pm and all teams returned to their respective stations.
