Elderly men killed in fires
PETALING JAYA: Two elderly men were killed in two separate fires in Sabah and Perak.
In Kota Kinabalu, an elderly man was killed while two others sustained burns during a fire in the Kepayan low-cost housing area yesterday.
The charred remains of Liew Han Chong, 65, were found in the second-floor bathroom of his house following the midnight blaze.
A 20-year-old man was nabbed for suspected arson in the case.
Kota Kinabalu OCPD Asst Comm Habibi Majinji said the suspect had allegedly burnt a mattress belonging to his aunt after a quarrel earlier.
The aunt’s house is next to the elderly man’s house. By the time neighbours noticed the fire, it had already spread to the house where the victim and seven others lived.
The suspect’s aunt and several others staying in the first house escaped in time, ACP Habibi said.
In Teluk Intan, another elderly man was burnt to death when two houses in Jalan Selat caught fire early yesterday morning.
Bernama reported Teluk Intan Fire and Rescue Station chief Mohd Ismail Mohd Yunus as saying that the charred body of Tan Ah Lang @ Tan Ah Leng, 78, was found on a bed in one of the houses.
Mohd Ismail said they were alerted to the fire at 4.42am before a team from the Teluk Intan and
Hutan Melintang stations assisted by Teluk Intan Volunteer Fire Brigade personnel rushed to the scene.
“The team found two houses on fire when they arrived.
“At about 6.30am, we found the body of the man in the central part of the first house,” he said.
In Miri, two people were rescued from a burning car that caught fire following a collision with a trailer along the Samarahan-Serian highway.
Passers-by immediately came to the rescue of the duo trapped in the car.
The Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department said the two victims were pulled out from the car before it was totally engulfed in flames.