KUCHING: A heavy machinery workshop was spared from destruction thanks to the  quick action of employees,  after  a  large pile of discarded tyres somehow caught fire yesterday afternoon.

TYRE FIRE: Workers grab fire extinguishers as the blaze threatens to get out of control.

Employees at the workshop, located at Jalan Tenaga in Pending, were going about their daily routine when the tyres, which were stored in a corner of the compound, suddenly burst into flames around 2.30pm.

They immediately equipped themselves with fire extinguishers and set about preventing the blaze from spreading to the workshop while awaiting the arrival of firefighters.

Plumes of black smoke, meanwhile, rose high into the sky and were visible several kilometres away.

A team of firefighters arrived at the scene following a  distress call and managed to bring the situation under control in just under 20 minutes.

The workers themselves later  expressed   their  relief that the main building was not affected, and that damage in the incident was  limited  to just one heavy machine parked next to the pile of tyres.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.