Three dead in two fires

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Two Pakistani restaurant workers perish as old shops razed in Mengattal

The victims’ relative was seen storming through a police barricade only to be stopped by a friend and police personnel after learning that his brothers were both trapped inside the burning shop.

 

The double-storey house that was destroyed in the fire at Kampung sungai Damit in Tuaran.

KOTA KINABALU: Three men, including two Pakistani citizens, were burnt to dead in two separate fire incidents in Menggatal and Tuaran yesterday.

Three colleagues of the Pakistani nationals sustained severe injuries when a fire destroyed a block of shops built during colonial times at Menggatal town early yesterday.

The charred remains of Assar Khan, 43, and Zaris Khan, 20, were found by Fire and Rescue Services personnel on the ground floor and first floor of one of the seven shop units destroyed in the blaze that broke out around 3am.

The commercial block was believed to be built more than 60 years ago. It housed two restaurants, three sundry shops, a billiard shop and a hand-phone shop, which had been operating for several years.

Both Assar Khan and Zaris Khan were said to be employees of one of the restaurants, where the fire was believed to have initially started.

It was learnt that when the fire happened around 1.30am, all five men were asleep on the first floor of their restaurant.

The three colleagues, however, managed to escape by jumping out from the first floor window but the victims were trapped inside.

It is also believed that one of the victims tried to escape through the main entrance, but was trapped inside as he could not open the restaurant door grille.

Fire and Rescue Services personnel found both victims’ charred remains about one and a half hours later.

Relatives and friends of the victims were seen and sobbing after learning that their friends were trapped inside the burning building.

Meanwhile, State Fire and Rescue Department director Nordin Pauzi, who was at the scene said his department received a distress call at 1.40am and immediately deployed three fire engines with 21 personnel to the scene.

“We managed to put the fire under control by 2.17am and found two charred remains inside one of the seven shops around 2.53am,” he said, adding that they immediately informed the police for assistant.

Nordin added that three of the injured victims have been taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for injuries they sustained during their escaped.

“We are still investigating the actual cause of the fire and total lost,” he said.

In TUARAN, the charred remains of a senior citizen were found inside a double-storey house at Kampung Sungai Damit here yesterday morning.

Pukimin Yokomo, 97, was found dead by the Fire and Rescue Services personnel an hour after the fire destroyed the victim’s house at 9am.

Fire and Rescue Services Department public relation officer Senior Assistant Superintendent Mohd Affendy Ramin said a distress call was received at 9.02am and two fire engines with seven personnel were immediately sent to the scene within minutes.

“We managed to put the fire under control by 9.49am and found the victim’s body in one of the bedrooms.

“We immediately informed the police of the discovery and the body was handed to the police for further investigation,” he said.

Mohd Affendy said the cause of the fire and total loss were still under investigation.