BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: While Muslims in the Sultanate rejoice in the glory of Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration, a family in Kg Sungai Besar at Jalan Kota Batu in the Brunei-Muara District was gripped with agonising sorrow when their home was gutted in a fire that also damaged a nearby house, Brudirect reported.
The fire razed the home of Awg Hj Moktal Hj Latif’s house to the ground. An old house nearly which has been unoccupied for some time was also damaged. The sixty-eight-year-old Hj Moktal lives in the house with five members of his family.
Fortunately, neither injury nor casualty was reported in the incident. According to the Fire and Rescue Services, rescuers received an emergency call at about 8:15 in the evening. It immediately dispatched twenty eight firemen supported by seven fire engines from the Bandar Seri Begawan, Mentiri, Muara and Marine Stations to the scene.
The Fire and Rescue Services said it managed to control the blaze within eighteen minutes. It was believed that the fire was started by firecrackers. In the wake of the incident, parents and guardians are urged to keep an eye on their children while playing with firecrackers. They must ensure that the remnants of the firecrackers are completely extinguished.