KOTA KINABALU: Fifteen people were killed in fire incidents in Sabah last year and eight of them were children.
State Fire and Rescue Services Department director Khirudin Drahman said the death toll for 2009 was 13 and he is worried over the high figure for last year.
He disclosed this at the launching of the department’s fire prevention campaign here yesterday.
The campaign, which was launched by Resource Development and Information Technology Minister Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai, was aimed at creating awareness among the community on the methods to prevent fires from occurring, especially during the festive sessions.
Khairudin also revealed that last year’s total loss from fire was recorded at RM78 million compared with RM61.1 million recorded in year 2009.
He said negligence was among the factors that had contributed to the fire incidents, especially during the festive sessions.
Khairudin said some people forgot to switch off electrical items before leaving their houses for the holidays.
“We hope that with this campaign, people would be more aware towards preventing fire from happening and the sources that contributed to fire incidents,” he said, adding that the campaign was launched simultaneously at several other districts, including Tawau and Sandakan.
According to him, there would be 24-hour patrols to tackle fire incidents, especially at strategic locations where fire had always happened.
At the event, Yee, Mayor Datuk Ilyas Ibrahim, Khairudin and Luyang Community Development Leader Chin Tek Ming distributed pamphlets to stall operators and the public at Gaya Street.