KOTA KINABALU: Nearly RM40mil worth of electrical cable has been destroyed in a fire at the Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) main store in Manggatal near here.

       SESB chairman Datuk Seri Madius Tangau said the blaze on Thursday wiped out a substantial part of its inventory.

       Madius, who was with SESB chief executive officer Mohd Yaakob Jaafar, inspected the damage at the site yesterday to check on the damage to the cable reels packed in wooden containers over a 1.2ha area.

       He said the cables placed in the open store were to be distributed throughout the state to supply electricity to homes.

       “The burnt area is about 1.2ha, but there are also cables that can be saved. So far, the cause of the fire has not been determined.

       “As a result of this fire, SESB has to reorder cables, especially to connect electricity to houses,” he told reporters at the scene.

       Over 60 firefighters from the Kota Kinabalu, Lintas and Penampang fire stations managed to bring the fire under control by 5pm Thursday, though they could not fully extinguish it due to a shortage of water.

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