Bomba photo shows the fire at its height.
SIBU (May 21): A senior citizen was killed after she ran back into a burning house at Lorong Kwong Tung here today.
The house, which belonged to her brother, was one of a row of seven wooden units razed to the ground, leaving 20 residents homeless.
The victim’s brother, who only wished to be known as Ling, said his elder sister had managed to escape from his house when the fire broke out.
“However, for reasons unknown, after handing her mobile phone to a neighbour, she rushed back into the house again. And that was the last time they heard from her,” he said.
Ling said his sister, who was in her 70s, lived at Jalan Tekam but would go to his house every morning.
“Today, as usual, after picking her up and leaving her at my house, I went out and the next thing I learned was my house was on fire. Everything happened so fast,” he added.
The Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) said a distress call on the fire was received at 6.43am.
Firefighters went to the scene led by senior operations commander Suna Kaha.
“On arrival, it was found that there was indeed a fire involving a row of non-permanent residential houses,” Bomba said in a statement.
“There was a victim trapped in a house and a search and rescue operation was carried out before the team managed to find the victim, in her 70s, slumped in front of the door of room no. 2.”
The victim’s body was later handed over to the police for further action.
A total of 20 residents lived in five units while the other two houses were unoccupied.
Also assisting in the operation were seven police personnel, four Ministry of Health personnel, two from Sesco, and seven from the Malaysian Civil Defence Force.
The cause of the fire and total value of damages have yet to be ascertained.
