Upper floor razed, vehicles damaged in fire
BETONG: A morning fire razed the upper floor of a double storey house at Kampung Masjid Betong and damaged vehicles belonging to its tenants yesterday.
According to a Fire and Rescue Department spokesperson, 10 personnel from Betong Bomba Station led by senior officer Tony Morni were rushed to the scene some two kilometres away upon receiving a call at 10.57am. The unit arrived within minutes.
The firefighters managed to put the fire under control within an hour with the help from volunteer fire- fighting unit and members of the public. No injuries or loss of life were reported.
“The fire had already destroyed the whole upper storey of the house which was made from wood. We were able to save the lower floor which being made from concrete took quite some time to be engulfed in flames,” the spokesperson said of the incident.
The cause of the fire and total losses were still being investigated.
It is understood that the house at Jalan Muhibbah was rented to Pakistani nationals. The fire also damaged a van and a motorcycle belonging to three male tenants.
One of the victims, when recalling the incident to reporters at the scene, said: “We tried to move our vehicles parked at the porch but the fire spread quickly. We could only watch helplessly as the fire destroyed the upper storey of our rented home.
“We did not want to take the risk to save our belongings because the fire was already thick. Furthermore, we were waiting for help from the Fire and Rescue Department.”