A fire had broken out at Kek Lok Si Temple in Ayer Itam around midnight (Friday, 4th February). The Paya Terubong Fire and Rescue station received an alert around 12:30am and rushed to the scene.
Onlookers from afar noticed white smoke billowing from the 131-year-old iconic attraction, which is situated next to the 30.2m-tall bronze statue of the Goddess of Mercy (Kuan Yin). Thankfully, the firemen were able to extinguish the fire before ravaging the temple further.
According to Paya Terubong Fire and Rescue Department operations officer Shahril Anuar Mawarday, the fire was the result of praying equipment outside the temple and not from within the Penang temple.
“No victims or structural damage were involved and the fire was successfully put out. The fire was brought under control at 12:56pm and was completely put out at 1:07am. The operation ended at 1:30am,” he was quoted as saying.
As one of the largest Buddhist temples in Malaysia and Southeast Asia, Kek Lok Si — which means Temple of Supreme Bliss — is a popular tourism spot where people usually flock to pray, especially every Chinese New Year.
We’re glad no one was injured and nothing major was destroyed compared to the devastating fire blaze that took place on 12th October last year.
