SIBU: It will be a bleak Gawai for 161 residents of Rumah Umpang, Ulu Bauh Celon in Selangau as their longhouse has been totally destroyed in a late night fire on Thursday (April 18)
State Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) in its daily update said they received a distress call at 10pm and immediately despatched 11 firemen in one fire engine and a four-wheel drive (4WD) from Sungai Merah Fire Station, who arrived in Selangau an hour later.
However, the firemen’s effort to reach the scene was hampered the narrow road to the 25-door longhouse which was not accessible by the fire engine.
“The firemen had to take all fire fighting equipment and loaded them into the four-wheel drive before proceeding to the longhouse which is another 5km away,” it said.
By the time they arrived at the scene, the longhouse was already reduced to its skeleton. They however managed to douse the flame using river water. The operation ended at 3am on Friday (April 19)
The Rumah Umpang fire is the fourth fire in the state so far this year which involved Iban longhouses.
