‘Fire at Jalan Ewe Hai not caused by burning car’
KUCHING: The fire at Jalan Ewe Hai here on Friday, which destroyed several old shophouses, was not caused by a parked vehicle that went ablaze, according to Kuching South mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng.
“To my knowledge, the car said to have caught fire, was not an abandoned car, and it caught fire because of the flames from the shoplot near it.
“Another car also caught fire because the owner could not locate the key (and failed) to remove it in time.
“The fire was already too strong for them to get near their cars. And the car that caught fire was not the source of the whole incident.
“The owners wanted to remove their cars too, but they could not make it (in time),” he said in his weekly Facebook Live show, ‘Shall WEE Talk’, yesterday.
Wee also addressed questions from some quarters on why the firefighters focused on ‘saving’ the cars first, instead of the shoplots.
“In my opinion, there was fuel in the cars and if the firefighters did not put out the fire on the cars first, it could be worse. The firefighters took care of the cars that caught fire to stop the spread.
“I understand that some quarters are angry but do not take it out at Bomba (Fire and Rescue Department). Our firefighters did their best, so for God’s sake, don’t lash out at them,” he said.
Wee said he could not be more shocked, and felt even sad to find out that an opposition elected representative had hit out at him for being present at the scene on Friday.
He said the representative claimed that the Kuching South mayor should not interfere in a Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) area.
“During fires and floods, it is natural for me, being a mayor, and more so a Sarawakian and a Kuchingite, to show my concern. What more to say about the street, that’s so special to me since I grew up in the area, and I know the community there very well.
“As a caring city-dweller, is it so wrong for me to care for the fire victims there? I don’t show my concern for the sake of publicity, and I am not the one who shows up once in every five years.
“Do not question why I was there after the fire happened. As an elected representative, what have you done, and why were you not there?
“Whatever I do, you criticise. You can perhaps do me a favour by not picking on me.
“I grew up in that area; there’s nothing wrong for me to care for the fire victims in Carpenter Street. You should channel your energy towards helping those in need,” said Wee.
On a separate matter, Wee said six new rabies cases had been reported in Sarawak this week.
Three cases in Kuching were recorded in Kampung Sijijak in Batu Kawa, Jalan Simen Raya in Pending, and DBKU, he said.
The remaining cases were recorded at Jalan Sebauh/Pandan in Bintulu, Jalan Jiu Phin in Tondong, Bau, and Kampung Kemintin Klauh in Sri Aman.