KUALA TERENGGANU, Sept 27 — Small student dormitories built within an office premises were among the conditions detected today by the Terengganu Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) during the Ops Sepadu Premis Sarang Burung operation around Kuala Terengganu.

The premises on the second floor had nine small rooms built separately and converted into student dormitories, in addition to being found non-compliant with several building safety regulations.

Terengganu JBPM director Nor Mahathir Muhammad said that inspections found that the premises in question, along with three other inspected locations, were originally approved as office buildings but had been repurposed for use as dormitories for workers and students.

“In this operation, our focus was on shop premises or office spaces that have been illegally modified, including looking into non-compliance with building regulations and fire safety aspects,” he said when met after the operation here today.

The integrated operation was carried out at four locations, namely Jalan Masjid Abidin, Jalan Engku Pengiran Anom 2, Jalan Engku Sar and Jalan Sultan Zainal Abidin.

“JBPM will issue a notice to the owner or tenant of the premises involved to take action to eliminate the identified fire hazards. If the owner or tenant fails to comply with the notice within the given period, we will conduct a second inspection,” he added. — Bernama

* Editor’s note: JBPM is the Malay abbreviation for Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat Malaysia.