SIBU, March 2: The fire at Kampung Bahagia Jaya last night which killed three people, started from a staircase of one of two wooden houses.
The Tuesday night fire took the lives of Suriaty Abdullah, 20, Rashidah Suut, 80 and Abdullah Bus, 64.
According to an occupant of one of the houses, Nur Fazali, 27, the two wooden houses were located next to each other.
“The fire started from the staircase of thhe bigger house before it spread to the smaller one,” he said.
There were eight occupants in the smaller house.
“The three deceased were trapped in a room at the time of the fire while the other five managed to escape to safety,” he said.
Nur Fazali who was staying in the bigger house said he was informed of the fire by a cousin.
“I immediately rushed home after receiving the news. By the time I reached the scene, the fire was already at its height,” he said.
Meanwhile Sibu Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) chief, Janggan Muling said for the time being, foul play did not appear to have had a role in the fire.
“We at this moment have ruled out foul play for the fire based on our initial investigation. But we are still conducting a thorough investigation on the cause of the fire,” he said.
Janggan also advised the public to have at least one fire extinguisher at hand for emergencies.
“Every household should have at least one fire extinguisher unit. It does not cost much as a smaller size one is between RM60 to RM80 while a bigger size one costs less than RM200 each,” he said.
The department had received an emergency call regarding the fire incident at 8.12pm last night.
Sungai Merah Bomba Station immediately despatched 11 firefighters in two engines to the scene while the Central Bomba Station sent eight firefighters to the scene.
Firefighters took about 20 minutes to douse the flames.
Meanwhile officers from the Welfare Department this morning handed over several items to the victims. — DayakDaily
