Man Dies, Five Houses Destroyed In Bintulu Fires

KUCHING, June 1 (Bernama) -- The atmosphere of the Gawai Day celebration in Sarawak was marred when a man died while five terrace houses were destroyed in two separate fire incidents that occurred in Bintulu early this morning.

According to the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) operations centre (PGO), the first incident on Saturday night left 21 people homeless, while another fire early Sunday morning claimed the life of one victim

In the first incident, five single-storey terrace houses of the permanent structure were 100 per cent destroyed in a fire at Kidurong MLNG Housing, Jalan Abang Usop, Bintulu, on Saturday night.

The emergency call was received at 11.43 pm on Saturday before 18 JBPM personnel from the Kidurong Fire and Rescue Station (BBP) and Bintulu BBP managed to extinguish the fire at 6.25 am today.

In the second incident,  a man identified as Wong Jun Din in his 50s was confirmed dead in a fire at a non-permanent house on Jalan Sibiew, near SJK Siong Boon at 2:32 am Sunday.

"The victim is believed to have been trapped but was successfully pulled out by other residents in an unconscious state with burn marks all over his body, before being confirmed dead by the Ministry of Health medical team at the scene," said a statement on the PGO's official WhatsApp.

Three other occupants were reported to have survived the incident.

The cause of the fire and the total loss from both incidents are still under investigation.

-- BERNAMA