A major fire broke out near Penang's Chew Jetty in the early hours of September 5, 2026, destroying five business premises without causing any casualties [1, 2, 3]. The blaze started around 1:00-1:08 a.m. near the rear of a petrol station, located about 20 to 50 meters from the historic Chew Jetty heritage site [1, 2, 4].

The businesses destroyed included a car workshop, welding shop, furniture and timber factory, T-shirt printing shop, and a scrap and printing shop [2, 3, 4]. Some reports suggested up to 10 wooden buildings were damaged in the tightly packed area, but authorities confirmed five main premises were affected [1, 2].

Residents were awakened by repeated explosions caused by the fire as it spread in the early morning, but no injuries were reported [1, 2, 3]. Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow confirmed the Chew Jetty itself was unharmed and pledged government support for rebuilding the affected businesses. He said, "We are thankful that the fire did not result in any casualties," while also noting the businesses operated under temporary occupation licenses or land rental agreements with the state government [2, 4].

Firefighters received the distress call at 1:08 a.m. and arrived within three minutes. They brought the fire under control by 2:03 a.m. with efforts continuing into the morning to extinguish hotspots and clear debris [2, 3]. The firefighting team included 25 officers from three stations and 143 volunteer firefighters from 18 brigades [2]. Low water pressure at the scene slowed operations, and firefighters accessed buildings via mudflats at low tide to search for any trapped victims [1, 2].

Victims of the fire reported severe losses. Car painting shop owner Hong Jing Lian estimated RM1 million in damages, including multiple vehicles destroyed. Another victim, Toh Aik Aun, said "There were hundreds of pieces of customers’ clothing still at the premises. Everything was destroyed" [3]. Northeast District operations officer Rosli Ibrahim said, "Firefighters’ swift action helped save a nearby petrol station and prevented the fire from spreading to nearby residential areas" [3].

Later on September 5, the Chief Minister visited the site to assess damages and reaffirm government help for rebuilding efforts [2, 4].