KUCHING: An elderly woman suffered second-degree burns to her face and body following a suspected gas explosion at her house in Muara Tabuan here yesterday.
The 69-year-old, who lives alone in the single-storey terrace house, was frying chicken in the kitchen around 12.30pm when the mishap occured.
Her neighbours rushed over after hearing the explosion and found the injured woman taking refuge inside a room. Firemen were called to the scene to inspect the house as a precaution in case a fire break out, while the victim was sent by an ambulance to the Sarawak General Hospital to treat the injuries to her face, chest and arms.
In an unrelated incident, a motorcycle-repair shop was damaged after a fire broke out on the first and second floors of its premises at a commercial shoplot in Kota Sentosa.
The fire was detected around 7.30pm when members of the public spotted thick smoke billowing from the windows of the premises and called the Fire and Rescue Services Department for assistance.
Two fire engines from the Batu Lintang and Tabuan Jaya fire stations were despatched to the scene following the distress call, and firemen were able to bring the situation under control at 8.28pm.
It was later learned that the razed units on both floors were used by the shop owner to store spare parts.
The cause of the fire is being investigated, while total loss from the incident was yet to be ascertained.