SRI AMAN: A nine-year-old boy was killed in a house fire that destroyed a two-storey semi-permanent home at Taman Sentosa Indah RPR Phase 1 here early this morning (Mar 7).
The Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) said firefighters from the Sri Aman station were dispatched after receiving a distress call at 3.02 am.
Upon arrival, they found the semi-permanent house, measuring about 30 by 30 square feet, fully engulfed in flames and later destroyed in the blaze.
The victim, identified as Ahmed Arfan Shah, was found burnt on the upper floor of the house.
“Five other occupants were injured in the fire. Abang Mohd Sanwani, 65, suffered severe burns covering most of his body, while Dayang Khairulnisa, 41, sustained burns over her body.
“Dayang Siti Mahfuzah, 40, as well as two teenagers – Anis Natrah, 13, and Ahmed Alif Firdaus, 15 – suffered burns on their legs,” a Bomba spokesperson said.
Two occupants were rescued by members of the public before firefighters arrived.
The severely injured man and woman were taken to Sri Aman Hospital by the Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) unit for treatment, while three others with leg injuries were taken to hospital by members of the public.
The boy’s body was later handed over to police for further action.
Four vehicles were also affected in the fire – a Toyota Vios and a Perodua Axia each burnt about 30 per cent, a motorcycle burnt about 50 per cent, while a Perodua Bezza was not damaged.
Firefighters used a 200-foot hose line with two nozzles along with an initial attack line to extinguish the blaze before carrying out overhaul works to ensure the fire was fully put out.
The operation ended at 5.35 am after the situation was declared safe.
