Local heroes swiftly quell longhouse fire

SPAOH: Swift thinking by two residents of Rumah Manggat averted potential disaster as they managed to prevent a fire from causing serious damages to their 19-door longhouse at Sungai Pelandok Paku, here yesterday (Jan 10).

The fire, which occurred around 3.10 pm, was confined to the stored goods in the walkway area near the toilet, adjacent to the kitchen of the longhouse.

Local heroes, identified as 33-year-old Justin Empaga Burai and 51-year-old Langi Edward Kaya, acted promptly by grabbing two fire extinguishers to extinguish the flames.

Upon the arrival of firefighters from Betong station, the flames, resulting in five per cent damages, had already been extinguished.

No injuries or structural damages to the longhouse were reported.

The team only conducted a thorough examination of the fire scene’s surrounding area to ensure no risk of reignition.

After confirming the situation was safe, the team ended their operation at 4.10 pm.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Firefighters examining the scene of the fire.

Firefighters examining the scene of the fire.