Temple in flames

I couldn't believe it at first but it was later confirmed that the Tua Pek Kong temple in Bukit Mertajam was up in flames at about 8.45pm on Wednesday night, the fire suspected to have started from the back of the building. Words can't describe enough the shock of seeing these pictures. The temple was built in 1866 and is thus 133 years old. I heard that firemen managed to put out the fire at about nine o'clock.

The whole interior of the temple has been charred black. I understand that everything inside has been destroyed except for two small statuettes that have since been rescued out. The temple grounds have been cordoned off, including the back portion where there is a coffee shop and some hawker stalls. But despite the place being off-limits, there were quite some curious busybodies who breached the cordon to look inside.

No, I did not breach the yellow tape put up by the Fire Department. I took this picture from the open doorway.

Someone removing the fuse from the electrical board.

The orders from the Fire Department

Blatant disregard for personal safety or the law

The coffee shop at the back. It shares the same wall as the temple. For how long will it be closed is anyone's guess. I shall miss its special coffee in the meantime. But the food court in front of the temple and most of the stalls at the back and side lanes were unaffected and continued to operate without interruption.

In the meantime, Steven Sim, the Member of Parliament for Bukit Mertajam, came out with a statement on Wednesday evening itself: