6 days ago
Lack of hydrant hampers firefighting effort in Sarikei house blaze
Firefighters using water from a nearby drain to douse the fire on the upper floor of the two-storey house at Jalan Lok Lee yesterday evening.
SARIKEI (May 31): A house fire at Jalan Lok Lee here yesterday evening posed a significant challenge for firefighters due to the absence of a nearby fire hydrant, forcing them to draw water from an open drain.
The fire, which engulfed the upper floor of a two-storey permanent structure, was reported at 6.01pm and brought under control by 6.37pm. It was fully extinguished by 8.05pm.
Fortunately, a married couple residing in the house managed to escape without injuries.
According to Sarikei Fire and Rescue Station chief, PPgB Arrahman Chik, firefighters had to adapt quickly when they discovered there was no fire hydrant within reach of the burning home.
'Our team had to rely entirely on water from an open drain nearby.
'This significantly slowed down our operation and made firefighting efforts more difficult,' he said in a statement last night.
Arrahman added that a combination of defensive and offensive firefighting tactics was employed to contain the blaze, which damaged approximately 50 per cent of the upper floor, while the lower floor remained unaffected.
'Despite the logistical challenge, our firefighters managed to prevent the fire from spreading further,' he said.
A total of 14 firefighters from Sarikei and Bintangor stations were deployed to the scene, using one Fire Rescue Tender (FRT) and one Light Fire Rescue Tender (LFRT). Police and SESCO personnel also assisted at the site.
Arrahman urged local authorities to consider improving fire hydrant coverage in residential areas to ensure faster and more effective emergency response in the future.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. bomba fire hydrant house fire lead
