Dozens of detainees evacuated after fire at Kuala Terengganu police HQ

“All were safely evacuated, although one of the female detainees had to be brought to the hospital after complaining of breathing difficulties, possibly due to smoke inhalation,” Kuala Terengganu Police Chief ACP Idris Abd Rafar told reporters.

He said the 58 detainees, including three women, were moved to the Gong Badak Police Station as electricity supply to the headquarters was cut off by the fire.

The room, on the ground floor of the double-storey building, was usually used by personnel from the Crime Prevention Branch, and is located 30 metres from the lockup.

Police personnel on duty were alerted to the fire by smoke in the air.

“I can confirm that no investigation papers were destroyed in the fire. Thankfully, there were no casualties either. And our weapons storage, located near the room which caught fire, is also secure,” Idris said.

Meanwhile, Terengganu Fire and Rescue Station operations commander Mohd Izwan Hashim said his team was alerted by an emergency call at 10.19am.

They were able to bring the fire under control within 10 minutes of arriving on the scene.