Fire destroyed 20 shops in Tukang Besi Road in Sibu this morning, making it the third blaze in the town in less than a month.

Firemen in four engines spent about two hours to contain the blaze which began about 11am, and prevented it from spreading to adjoining shops.

Among the shops destroyed were two medical laboratories, bookshop, motorcycle repair shop, goldsmith-cum/ammunitions shop, private medical clinic, restaurant and the branch offices of Chinese daily newspapers ‘ The International Times’ and ‘ Berita Petang ’.

According to a witness, Dr Isaali Wasli, who operated the Klinik Ali there over the last 24 years, he was treating some patients at the clinic when the fire broke out.

He said he told the patients to leave before the fire spread to his clinic, adding that the fire was believed to have started from one of the shops on the first floor of a row of buildings.

According to Sibu Fire and Rescue Department fire forensic officer Rafie Sapar, this was the third fire in the town in less than a month.

The first fire on June 19 destroyed about 60 houses, rendering 597 people from 144 families homeless in Kampung Datu/Kampung Hilir.

Last Friday morning, a fire destroyed a water pump generator and other equipment at the Sibu Water Board raw water pumping station in Lanang Road.

- Bernama