The fire at its height.
The aftermath of the fire which gutted Dato Health Clinic.
DARO: A 30-year-old government health clinic here was yesterday destroyed in a morning fire.
No casualties were reported, but an ambulance and a car were among the properties damaged.
Mukah fire chief Ali Mat Sam said the fire was first spotted at 3.40am by several of the clinic’s staff who rushed out of the building.
“Two hours later, six fire fighters arrived at the scene,” he said, adding that his men received an emergency call at 4.09am.
“We took quite some time to reach there because the fire scene is some 110km from Mukah Fire Station. And we had to use a ferry to cross Daro River,” he explained.
He said when the firemen arrived at the scene, the clinic was already 95 per cent destroyed.
“My men could only prevent the fire from spreading to a neighbouring building.”
Ali Mat said losses and the cause of fire were yet to be ascertained.
The area here with a population of 22,000 is also served by Daro Hospital which is located 6km from town.
Yesterday Daro assemblyman Murni Suhaili told the press that a temporary clinic had been set up at Daro Hospital’s visitors’ house to ensure healthcare service would not be interrupted.
He said the temporary clinic which would start operation today would cater for the people from Daro, Bruit and Matu.
Murni, Semop assemblyman Abdullah Saidol and Jemoreng assemblyman Abu Seman Jahwie visited the fire scene yesterday, accompanied by Daro District Officer and Mukah Health Officer.
Daro Hospital is located about 2km from the gutted Daro Health Clinic.
Meanwhile, Murni said yesterday’s fire showed the urgency for a fire station to be built in Daro as the fire station in Mukah is too far away to respond in time to put out major fires.
“A proposed fire station has been approved for Daro District,” he revealed but did not indicate when construction would start.