SEMPORNA, March 8 — Five houses, three shops, and a kindergarten were destroyed in a fire at Kampung Air here on Friday.
Semporna Fire and Rescue Station chief, PPgB Rastam Bin Keladi, said the department received a distress call reporting the fire at 3.43pm.
Twelve firefighters from the Semporna Fire and Rescue Station were deployed in two fire engines and an EMRS vehicle.
The operation was reinforced by six firefighters from the Semporna Over-water Fire and Rescue Station and another six from the Kunak Fire and Rescue Station, both arriving with a fire engine and a boat.
Upon arrival, the operation commander confirmed that multiple houses and premises had been affected.
“Five non-permanent houses, a non-permanent grocery shop, a non-permanent food stall, a non-permanent bundle (second-hand clothes) shop, and a kindergarten (non-operating since 2017) were completely destroyed. The fire also caused about 10 per cent damage to a nearby house. The team conducted firefighting operations using two 600-feet streams and four sprouts, sourcing water from machinery and a nearby fire hydrant,” he said.
The fire was brought under control at 4.51pm, and 50 nearby houses were saved. No casualties were reported.
In Tongod, two Imam’s houses were destroyed in a separate fire at Kampung Entilibon early Friday morning, which also left three family members injured while trying to escape.
Kinabatangan Fire and Rescue Station chief Hairi Utoh said his team received the emergency call at 2.09am and arrived at 4.19am due to the station being 121km away.
The fire completely destroyed three houses, five vehicles, and three motorcycles, while a nearby mosque suffered heat damage.
During the incident, Hujan Simbul, 53, and his wife Julia Ahmad, 53, sustained injuries to their neck and waist after jumping from their house to escape. Their son, Syahnizan, 20, suffered burns to the soles of his feet and face.
All three were taken by members of the public to the Entilibon Health Clinic for treatment. — Daily Express
