Tahfiz school hostel in Tuaran razed
TUARAN: The double-storey hostel at an all-girl tahfiz school, Tarbiatun Nisa at Jalan Marabahai Tambalang, was burnt to the ground in an early morning fire yesterday.
However, none of the 41 students and teachers were injured in the 6.50am incident, said Tuaran Fire and Rescue Station chief Abdul Qawie Abdul Gapar.
“Upon receiving a distress call at 6.58am, we immediately deployed nine fire fighters to the location.
“We managed to control the blaze by 7.38am while the operation ended about an hour later,” he said.
Hostel manager Ustazah Aishah Abdul Halim said several students spotted the fire when they were returning from the surau to the hostel after the morning lecture.
Forty-one students, aged between seven and 26, stayed at the hostel, she said, adding that they were from poor families from across Sabah.
Aishah said seven students experienced breathing difficulties as they were in the hostel at that time, but their condition had improved.
She said the school, which had been operating since Sept 1, 2016, applied for registration in 2017 but had yet to get the approval of the relevant authorities.
“For now, the students whose families live far away are being housed at the surau,” she said.