‘Bomba took 20 hours to reach Gerawat’s house in Bario’
Firefighters from Marudi took around 20 hours to reach Datuk Gerawat Gala’s house in Kampung Pa Umor, Bario, which was destroyed in a fire that struck early Sunday.
According to a report from the Fire and Rescue (Bomba) station in Marudi, headed by Maureen Sim, the firefighters made the 460km journey by land and river from Marudi to the village after receiving a report at 1.40am.
Volunteer Fire Brigade (PBS) members in the village were the first responders at the wooden house of Gerawat, the Deputy Minister in Sarawak Premier’s Department (Labour, Immigration and Project Monitoring) and Mulu assemblyman.
“Another Bomba team comprising nine personnel headed by senior fire superintendent II Robert James, used the MI-171 helicopter service from the Bomba Air Base to expedite the operation.
“The PBS team, who were assisted by the villagers, managed to put the fire under control, while waiting for the arrival of the firefighters.
“However, the wooden house was totally destroyed in the fire,” said the statement from Bomba.
There were no reports of casualties in the incident, which ended at 3.20pm.
Gerawat could not be reached for comment as of the time of writing.
However, he could be seen at the site of the incident.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Field Command said the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) were among the agencies that worked together to put out the fire in Bario.
They said troops from the Sixth Border Regiment, who were conducting Ops Jagakawan in Bario, were mobilised to the scene after a call for help was made.
“Upon receiving the call for help from the village chief Pasang Ibuh at 2am, an officer along with 20 rank-and-file personnel were despatched to the scene.
“At 5.30am, the army men, Bario volunteer firefighters and local villagers had successfully extinguished the fire.
“No injuries were reported,” said the Eastern Field Command in a statement issued in Kuching.
They commended those involved for their spirit and cooperation, which they said was in line with the ‘Whole of Government and Whole of Society’ concept and the Fourth Core of the Supreme Command of the 30th Army Commander.
They said it would continue to provide cooperation to public agencies for the well-being of the people in Sarawak and Sabah.
“This kind of cooperation is in line with efforts to strengthen our cooperation and close relationship with public agencies,” they added.