LABUAN: A man suffered burns on his hands as he attempted in vain to put out a fire early today at his house that left seven families homeless.
The fire, which started at about 2am, destroyed the double-storey wooden house that the families had been renting.
Labuan Fire & Rescue Department director Zainal Madasin said the operations room received a distress call at 2.42am and firefighters put out the blaze 30 minutes later.
None of the occupants, seven of whom are children, were able to salvage their belongings as the fire spread quickly.
One of the victims, Suwardi Alwi, 29, said he was not night-shift duty and rushed home to find the house already destroyed. His wife and three-year-old son are not in Labuan now.
“There was nothing left. Our clothes, electrical appliances all gone, including my Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) certificate and (other) documents,” he told Bernama.
Osman Lapannabu, 45, said he returned from work around 2 am and was shocked to see the house on fire.
“My wife and two children, aged nine and 11, had rushed out. We managed to salvage only our documents. The clothes and other belongings were all destroyed,” he said.
The victims are hoping for immediate assistance from the authorities and are wondering where to take temporary shelter.
Zainal said the cause of the fire and the damage have yet to be determined.
Labuan MP Datuk Rozman Isli, when contacted, said immediate assistance will be given to the victims. — Bernama
