SIBU: Eight individuals were left homeless after a fire destroyed two semi-detached houses at Jalan Apollo Barat here today.
Fire and Rescue Department Zone 4 Chief, Andy Alie, said firefighters from the Sungai Merah and Sibu Sentral stations were dispatched to the scene following an emergency call received at 11:06 am.
“Upon arrival, the team found both houses already engulfed in flames.
“Firefighting efforts were challenging due to a large amount of furniture and privately-owned firecrackers which was stored in the car porch area of the house,” he said when contacted.

He said the first house was 90 per cent destroyed, along with a Toyota Innova that was completely burnt, while the second house sustained 80 per cent damaged.
“Fortunately, all residents managed to escape unharmed,” he said.
After almost two and a half hours of battling the fire, the operation concluded at 1:44 pm.
“The cause of the fire and the estimated losses are still under investigation,” he added.