UP IN SMOKE: The destroyed school building.
KOTA MARUDU: A morning fire destroyed two classrooms, a store and general office of Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Panaitan here early yesterday.
According to security guard Lois Majuntin, 50, he was shocked upon hearing a small explosion from the corner block of the school building at about 4.30am.
“I went to check and discovered that the block was in flames and the fire was spreading to other blocks.
“At that time, I tried to put out the fire but failed as it spread quickly,” he said, adding that he also failed to save important documents or items from the burning blocks.
He then contacted the district Fire and Rescue Services Department for assistance.
“A few minutes later two fire engines arrived at the scene and put out the fire,” he said. Meanwhile, the department’s officer Sentey Bakau when contacted said they received a distress call about 4.49am.
He said seven personnel in two fire engines were immediately rushed to the scene and arrived there 25 minutes later.
“We discovered that the entire building was already gutted by fire and we continued to put out the fire to prevent it from spreading to other buildings,” he said.
He said the operation ended at about 7am and no fatalities were reported in the incident. “Only one building consisting of two classrooms, a store and general office was destroyed.
“The total loss and cause of fire are still under investigation,” he added.