Two house fires in one day
MIRI: Eight people from two families were made homeless in fires which occurred at two different locations at about 4am and 11am yesterday.
In the 4am fire, a family of four living at Jalan Setia Raja here suffered a huge loss from the destruction of their three cars – two Mercedes and a Honda.
In an interview yesterday, fire victim Hadeni Ahmad, 27, who had been living in the house with his father, aunty and two siblings for nearly 20 years recalled that he woke up at about 4am.
“I got up to get a drink from the kitchen as I was thirsty. When I was in the kitchen, I smelt smoke and saw a fire,” he said.
Hadeni immediately alerted his family who were asleep before running to Miri Fire and Rescue Station (Bomba Miri) located some 500 metres from their house.
A team of seven firemen from Bomba Miri rushed to the scene, taking almost an hour to put out the fire, ending their operation by about 5am.
In the second fire, a couple and their two young children could not save anything as they were not at home when fire broke out in the house at Kampung Pasir, Simpang 4 in Lutong at about 11am.
The victim’s wife Durinda Ulong, 36, said she had been putting up at the squatter house near Lutong River for a year.
The wooden house belongs to her relative, Resa Chendan, 27, who had allowed her family to stay there.
“We had gone out around 10am today (yesterday) and were shocked when our neighbours called to tell us that the house had been razed by fire.
“We are devastated as we have nowhere to go,” she said.
According to her, all of the family’s belonging were burnt to ashes.
A team of seven firemen from Lopeng Fire and Rescue Station rushed to the scene upon receiving a call at about 11am, taking about half- an-hour to arrive due to the long distance.
Police are investigating the cause of the fires.