Black smoke was visible up to five kilometres away, said Penang fire and rescue department operations chief Endi Sherimi Adam.

“The fire involved a single-storey factory covering approximately 6,000 sq ft, affecting the storage, office, and operational sections. As of 8pm, about 60% of the building had been destroyed,” he said in a statement today.

He said the fire had been brought under control in the operational and storage areas, while firefighting efforts were still continuing in the office and laboratory sections.

About 100 firefighters were involved, from fire stations in Perai, Bandar Perda, Butterworth, Bakap River, Bukit Mertajam, Kepala Batas, and Paya Terubong, along with 13 people from the voluntary fire brigade.