KUCHING, Dec 18: About 86 people were made homeless after a fire razed Rh Daniel at Guntong Ulu, Batu Lintang, Sri Aman this evening.
According to the state Fire and Rescue Department, a team from Sri Aman fire station was immediately despatched upon receiving a report from a villager at 5.31pm.
“The incident destroyed about 80 per cent of the 17-door half wooden structure longhouse. Firefighters managed to put out the fire by 6.50pm,” the department revealed in a statement.
Residents tried to douse the fire using six fire extinguishers while waiting for Fire and Rescue to arrive. The firefighters managed to prevent the fire from spreading to eight other houses nearby. In total, the village has about 186 residents.
The department is still probing the cause of fire. It is understood that a fire broke out in one of the longhouse units in 2017 due to an electrical short circuit. However, longhouse residents involved in the Bomba Komuniti unit managed to extinguish the fire.
No injuries were reported in the incident, although a 54-year-old woman suffering from asthma had to be treated at the scene by Fire and Rescue emergency response unit before being brought to Sri Aman hospital for further treatment.
Sri Aman Bomba chief, Nik Muhd Afiq Nik Roslan, led the operation. — DayakDaily
