By Nurhauni Lee Abdullah
KANOWIT: A teenage boy’s quick action managed to prevent his longhouse, Rumah
Andreas at Nanga Lipus, Jalan Rantau Kemiding from being gutted by a fire last
Sunday afternoon.
Alexsidi Wifred, 13, saw a fire in the kitchen area between the 12th and 13th door and immediately grabbed a dry-type fire extinguisher to put out the blaze.
Local fire chief Aarahman Chik said the station received an emergency call around 6.20pm and immediately despatched 11 firefighters to the scene about 22 kms away.
The firefighters found that the fire, which damaged 10 per cent of the 10×10 kitchen, had been put out by Alexsidi.
“The fire did not involve any fatalities and the cause and losses are still under investigation,” Aarahman when contacted yesterday.
Aarahman praised Alexsidi’s swift action in controlling and extinguishing the fire.
He said the boy’s knowledge in handling the fire extinguisher had saved his longhouse.
“Alexsidi has experience in operating the fire extinguisher through his school’s Fire Education Awareness Programme,” Aarahman said.
He
added that it was important for every house including longhouses especially far
from urban areas to have fire extinguishers. Besides that, the residents should
also know how to handle fire extinguishers in the event of a fire disaster.
Aarahman said his department would continue to
carry out its public awareness and safety programme so that more people in
Kanowit would know how to handle fire extinguishers.
