2 days ago
Fire destroys teacher's room, administration office at SMK Dang Anum
The building had been undergoing an electrical wiring upgrade at the time of the incident. By SINAR DAILY REPORTER
03 Jul 2025 04:17pm
A fire broke out early Thursday morning at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Dang Anum, Merlimau, in the building housing the teacher's room and administration office, causing significant damage to the structure. - Photo by Bernama
JASIN – A fire broke out early Thursday morning at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Dang Anum, Merlimau, in the building housing the teacher's room and administration office, causing significant damage to the structure.
The fire, which occurred at 5.30am destroyed four teacher's rooms in the school.
Fire and Rescue Department Operation Commander Senior Fire Officer I Mohd Sukur Md Ali from the Merlimau Fire and Rescue Station said no casualties were reported as the school was not in session at the time of the incident.
"We received an emergency call at 5.36am and dispatched the first team to the location within two minutes," he said in a statement on Thursday. A fire broke out early Thursday morning at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Dang Anum, Merlimau, in the building housing the teacher's room and administration office, causing significant damage to the structure. - Photo by Bernama
Upon arriving at the scene, the team confirmed that the fire involved the teacher's rooms on the first floor of the school building.
The fire spread over an area of about 80 x 60 square feet, causing 80 per cent damage to the affected rooms.
Firemen used two 200-foot hoses and three water jets from fire hydrants to suppress the flames.
A total of 19 firefighters from four fire stations were involved in the operation, which included teams from Merlimau, Jasin, Padang Temu and Bukit Katil.
Short Circuit Suspected as Cause
A suspected short circuit has been identified as the likely cause of the fire at the school.
The building, which housed a teacher's room, Design and Technology (RBT) room, Moral Education room and Graphic Communication and Technical (GKT) room, had been undergoing an electrical wiring upgrade at the time of the incident.
Melaka Fire and Rescue Department director Mohd Zaidi Maat confirmed that initial investigations revealed no signs of foul play.
However, he noted that further investigation will be carried out with the assistance of the K9 detection unit to rule out the possibility of arson.
"We need to assess if there was any malicious intent, but at this point, there is no evidence to suggest that," he said.
The fire department also faced challenges in battling the blaze due to low water pressure at the scene.
"We had to source water from the nearby Taman Baru Merlimau because the local water pressure was insufficient.
"For firefighting, the required water pressure should be at least 1.7 bar to ensure water can be pumped effectively into our vehicles. Unfortunately, the pressure that morning did not meet that standard," he said.
Meanwhile, State Exco for Education, Higher Education and Religious Affairs Datuk Rahmad Mariman confirmed that the building had been undergoing electrical upgrades since 16 weeks ago, with completion expected in 10 weeks.
He stressed that a thorough investigation will be conducted and if the fire was caused by contractor negligence, no leniency would be shown.
The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing and authorities have vowed to take appropriate action depending on the findings. Fire and Rescue Department
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