Fire destroys Rumah Mandau Sebangkoi

SARIKEI: Fire ravaged a 12-door, double-storey longhouse in Jalan Sebangkoi at 10.40am today, leaving 59 people homeless.
A spokesman from the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department's operations centre said the fire at Rumah Mandau located 17km from here, started from the kitchen while a senior citizen was cooking.
Occupants of the longhouse managed to escape unharmed.
Eleven personnel from Sarikei fire station rushed to the scene following a distress call at 10.50am. Assisted by eight firefighters from Saratok, they managed to control the fire by 11.40am and ended the operation at 2.38pm.
Meanwhile, a Sarikei Welfare Office spokesman said initial assistance in the form of dry food had been prepared for the victims. — Bernama