Fire damages SM Kian Kok hall

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KOTA KINABALU: About 1,400 secondary students and teachers from SM Kian Kok, here were evacuated from their respective classrooms when a fire broke out in a lecture hall that was located on the fourth floor of the school’s Information Technology (IT) Building yesterday.

The fire, believed to have been caused by short circuit, only destroyed some plastic chairs, wall and ceiling of the lecture hall in the 10.20am incident.

School principal, Lim Chian, when met yesterday, said the incident happened during school recess when black smoke was seen coming out of the upper floor of the four-storey IT Building.

He said the lecture hall is located on the fourth floor of the IT Building while the school canteen is on the ground floor.

“I was in my office when I heard some students yelling that the lecture hall was on fire.

“I immediately informed the Fire and Rescue Services Department and in less than five minutes, three fire engines were in our school compound,” he said.

Lim said he was grateful that no student or teacher was hurt in the incident.

He also thanked the firemen for their quick response and prevent the fire from destroying the building.

Meanwhile, Sembulan station fire chief Ariffin Harris, who led the operation said, a distress call was received at 10.24am and three fire engines, two utility vehicles and a rapid intervention motorcycle with about 22 firefighters were dispatched to the scene within minutes.

“We managed to put the fire under control around 10.46am and the whole operation ended around 11.10am,” he said.

He said no casualty was reported while the actual cause of the fire and total loss were still under investigation.