KOTA KINABALU: Nearly RM40mil worth of electrical cable roles were destroyed in a fire at the Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) main store in Manggatal near here on Thursday (April 4).

       SESB chairman Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau said the fire wiped out most of the reel cables stored at the facility.

       On Friday (April 5), Madius and SESB chief executive officer Mohd Yaakob Jaafar surveyed the damage at the 1.2ha site where the cable reels had been packed in wooden containers.

       Madius said the cables were to be installed throughout the state, mostly to connect supply to consumers' homes.

       "The cause of the fire has not been identified," he said, adding that some of the containers were still on fire as of Friday morning.

       "As a result of this, SESB has to reorder the cables, especially to provide electricity supply to homes," he told reporters at the scene.

       Over 60 firefighters from the Kota Kinabalu, Jalan Lintas and Penampang stations managed to bring the blaze under control by 5pm on Thursday but could not extinguish it owing to a water shortage.

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       The fire hydrant at the site ran dry, so firemen had to use water from a nearby drain – but that also ran out within 40 minutes.

       Madius said the firefighters then had to get water from Sungai Manggatal, about 1.2km from the scene.

       He described the incident as unfortunate, owing to its impact on the state's electrical infrastructure.

       "This is also a lesson to SESB to provide a safer place in the future," he said.

       Operations to douse the fire were still ongoing as of noon, with fire retardant foam being utilised.