By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Oct 12: A 29-door longhouse at Rh Liun, Nanga Pangai, Sungai Ibau in Kapit district, was 90 per cent destroyed in a predawn fire today after the incident went unreported for several hours due to the absence of mobile network coverage in the remote area.
The fire, believed to have started around 2.30am, was only reported at 10am when the Tuai Rumah (longhouse chief) personally travelled to the Kapit Fire and Rescue Station to lodge a report.
According to the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), the single-storey semi-permanent longhouse was about 90 per cent destroyed by the time the report reached them.
Of the 29 doors, 13 were unoccupied, while 16 doors were home to 28 residents.
All residents managed to escape safely, and no injuries or loss of life were reported.
A team of three firefighters from the Kapit Fire Station, led by station chief PPgB Timoty Barat, was immediately deployed to the scene using a Hilux vehicle.
It took them about 1 hour and 40 minutes to reach the site, located approximately 61 kilometres away, by travelling through logging roads and crossing a river.
Personnel from the Kapit District Office, police (PDRM), Civil Defence Force (APM) and Welfare Department (JKM) were also on site to assist affected residents and coordinate follow-up aid.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. — DayakDaily
