Kuala Lumpur: Seven shops including a hardware store in Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, near Chow Kit here, were destroyed in a fire this afternoon. However, no casualties were reported.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) received an emergency call at 1.36 pm. In response, six engines and 35 firefighters from the Sentul, Hang Tuah, and Titiwangsa Fire and Rescue Stations were deployed to the scene.

"The fire involved a hardware store and six eateries behind it," JBPM stated in a release. The department reported that the fire was brought under control by 2.50 pm. However, the cause of the fire and the amount of damage remain under investigation.

Meanwhile, Ramzana Ali, 39, an employee at the hardware shop, witnessed the blaze. He was napping at the back of the building next to the burnt store when the commotion woke him. "A commotion woke me up and when I realised what was happening, I immediately contacted my employer before saving myself," he said.