An April 4 fire that smoldered for days resulted in massive destruction of stored cables in a warehouse that is owned by Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB).

Per a report in the Daily Express—which included a photo of an outside storage area with hundreds of large cable reels, many of which were ablaze— the fire devastated the warehouse and outdoor reels that were stored for distribution across the state. The casualties included 70 newly arrived drums of cables, alongside the existing inventory destined for various regions. A local fire official indicated that of an area of about 3.7 acres “a significant portion of 3 acres suffer(ed) direct damage.”

Estimates pegged the losses at more than $8 million, much of which was for the loss “of more than 1,000 drums of cables.” The damages are significant for SESB as it will require “a prolonged and expensive process of reallocating funds and time to reorder the essential materials.”

The article noted that there were eight types of cables destroyed, most of which were coated cables designed to replace older, bare cables. SESB estimated that some 5,000 km of uncoated cables are in use that should be replaced, while current capacity only allows for 300 km of cables. “Without implementing a comprehensive cable replacement program, it is projected to take approximately 20 years to address the widespread issue of uncoated cables across the state.”