Bintangor elderly couple loses home to early morning fire

A fireman makes sure the fire is completely doused before wrapping up the operation.

BINTANGOR (May 25): A couple in their 60s lost their home after it was destroyed by fire early this morning.

Bintangor Fire and Rescue Station chief Nicholas Belulin said after receiving a distress call at 2.53am, they rushed firefighters to the scene, a longhouse (Rh Jubang) in Sungai Pinang, upper Pakan about 58km away.

“When they arrived at the location, the two-storey, semi concrete house was 70 per cent destroyed.

“The firefighters had difficulty getting to the house, which is accessible through a narrow road of 2.8km long. They had to load their firefighting equipment onto a pick-up truck belonging to the headman in order to reach the house.

“When they did finally arrive at the location, the two-storey house was 70 per cent destroyed and the upper floor had completely collapsed. The firefighters, however, continued with extinguishing the fire using water sourced from a nearby river.

“The operation was wrapped up in 40 minutes,” Nicholas said in a statement.

The couple was not hurt during the incident while cause of the fire and loss ascertained are still being investigated.