Senior citizen dies in Sarawak house fire

SIBU - A senior citizen was found burnt to death in an early morning fire which destroyed a house in Kampung Halud, Matu, about 115 kilometres from here, today.

Four other occupants in the house managed to escape in the fire.

Fire and Rescue Department Sibu Zone chief, Senior Fire Superintendent I Andy Allie identified the deceased as Merais Aris, 68, and the four who escaped from the fire as his children and grandchildren.

"Merais, a labourer, was believed to have failed to leave the burning house on time. Firefighters found his body in front of a door at 5.05 am and the remains were handed over to the police for further action," he said.

According to him, residents noticed the fire at about 2.15 am and alerted the Fire and Rescue Department at 2.51 am, following which a team from the Daro Fire and Rescue Station (BBP) were dispatched to the scene.

"The operation to extinguish the fire was completed at 4.45 am. The operation used water from a nearby drain as the fire hydrant in the area had no water," he added. -BERNAMA