SARIKEI: Fire gutted a sawmill in Tanjong Manis near here yesterday, causing losses estimated at RM10 million.
FIRE BEYOND CONTROL: The fire burns up the dry timber in the steam house.
A management staff member of the Round Tree Timber Sawmill Sdn Bhd (formerly Forest Wood Timber Sawmill) who declined to be identified said the fire destroyed their timber, machinery and kiln dry (KD) rooms.
The fire broke out at a boiler located at the far end of half of the two-section kiln around 6.30am.
Fuelled by timber drying in the kiln, the fire was beyond control, which prompted the workers to call for assistance from the Tanjong Manis Airport Fire and Rescue Service Unit.
As the fire became more fierce despite the effort of the four firemen from the airport who came in an engine, the sawmill workers rang up the fire emergency numbers.
The nearby Fire and Rescue Services (Bomba) stations quickly responded.
Sarikei Bomba dispatched a total of 12 firemen and an engine.
Sarikei Bomba chief Zulhilmi Baharuddin said as soon as they received a distress call at 9.06am, they dispatched five men and their equipment in a boat.
He and two other men followed in a commercial speedboat.
The firemen’s boat later returned to Sarikei to fetch four more men.
Sibu Region fire chief Mutalib Abdul Rashid together with five men and four others from Bintangor fire station also rushed to the fire.
Zulhilmi said five members of the Civil Defence Department and some sawmill workers were among those who helped.
The firemen managed to put the inferno under control around noon, Zulhilmi said. Thereafter their main job was to put out the fire completely by 4pm.
The cause of the fire and the losses incurred are being investigated, he said.
There was no casualty or injury reported in the incident.
The efforts of those involved had prevented the fire from spreading to the other half of the kiln and other sections of the sawmill, he said.