KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 — Controversial carpet trader Deepak Jaikishan suffered massive losses today after a fire destroyed his carpet factory and showroom in Nilai 3, wiping out a decade of work.

“We lost the entire building. My entire business is there. I’m completely destroyed. Whatever I have been working on for the last 10 years is completely finished,” Deepak told Malaysiakini.

The fire broke out at around 7am, with the Negeri Sembilan Fire and Rescue Department receiving an alert at 7.49am.

Around 60 firefighters from four stations were dispatched to the scene, where they battled thick smoke and strong winds to contain the blaze.

“No casualties were reported, but putting out the fire took time as it involved carpets, strong winds, and thick smoke,” said the department’s senior operations officer Khir Amir Ahmad, as quoted by Bernama.