Interrupted power supply affected more than 18,800 residents of Air Itam after the Paya Terubong Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) Main Substation on Jalan Thein Teik, George Town, caught fire today.

Penang TNB chief engineer Ismail Lathifi Teh said the 12.35pm incident caused damage to the substation's main switch.

The areas affected by the fire were Pekan Air Itam, Kampung Melayu, Kampung Pisang, Bandar Baru and Paya Terubong.

“Electricity was restored to over 50 percent of the areas by 2.15pm and the rest will follow suit in stages. Areas in Farlim and Paya Terubung are expected to be normal by 8pm today,” he said when contacted.

Ismail said reparation works are currently being carried out by a division from the Bukit Mertajam TNB headquarters, while the cause of the fire and losses incurred are under investigation.    

Meanwhile, Paya Terubong Fire and Rescue Department chief Ambrasan Jasminer said they received a call at 12.41pm and arrived at the scene a minute later.

He said they took five minutes to extinguish the fire using dry powder and the situation was controlled within an hour.

“Roughly, we found that the fire occurred around the main switch and this will be investigated further,” he added.

- Bernama