Two senior citizens perish in fire at Jalan Datuk Bandar Mustapha

Source: Borneo Post Online

KUCHING (March 2): Two senior citizens were found dead this morning after they were believed to have been trapped in a fire at a workshop at Jalan Datuk Bandar Mustapha-Kuching Bypass on Saturday morning.

According to Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) Sarawak director Khirudin Drahman, a call of the fire was received at 4am and firefighters from the Batu Lintang and Tabuan Jaya stations were deployed to the scene.

"I would like to convey my condolences to the deceased's families," said Khirudin, who further stressed the importance of fire safety in each home.

He said the two deceased were trying to escape the fire but were trapped inside the one-storey house due to the window grills.

Khirudin emphasised the significance of having grills in place to deter intruders from entering a house, but pointed out the dual-edged nature of this security measure -- while effective in keeping unwanted visitors at bay, they can be a hindrance by trapping occupants inside during emergency situations.

"This is a very sad situation and we are still carrying out our investigation," he said.

In a statement released by Bomba, the deceased were identified as Chin Ah Jon, 70s, and Lim Gek Hue, 50s.

The statement said operations to extinguish the fire faced complications as they could not enter the premises due to the presence of live electricity.

The bodies were handed over to the police to be transported to the Sarawak General Hospital's Forensics Department for further action.

In a separate incident on Friday night, a fire almost totally destroyed a double-storey house at Kampung Tabuan Selipar Putus at 10.25pm.

In the incident, a 42-year-old man managed to escape the inferno to safety.

At the scene were firefighters from the Tabuan Jaya station, who managed to bring the fire under control at 10.48pm and fully extinguish it at 11.14pm.

The victim's motorcycle was destroyed by the fire, and Bomba is currently investigating the total damages and cause of the fire.