TAWAU: Two separate accidents involving a heavy goods vehicle and a luxury car were successfully brought under control by the Fire and Rescue Department over two consecutive days, preventing more serious tragedies.
In the first incident on 15 November, a 30-tonne capacity tanker truck carrying crude palm oil (CPO) was involved in an accident at Jalan POIC Baru, Lahad Datu.
According to Operations Commander, PBK I Mohd Akbar Muhambar, firemen arrived at the scene just three minutes after receiving an emergency call at 4.34 pm.
“We successfully rescued a 38-year-old male driver who was trapped in the vehicle. The victim, who sustained severe injuries, was handed over to the ambulance team for further treatment at Lahad Datu Hospital,” explained Mohd Akbar.
A major concern in this incident was the truck’s cargo of flammable material. However, according to the official report, no oil spillage occurred.
The operation, involving 11 firefighters with the cooperation of two policemen and two medical personnel, was ended at 6.30 pm.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident in Tawau, a luxury Range Rover car was completely destroyed by a fire at Jalan Kau Sing Baru on 17 November.
Operations Commander PBK I Jehrey Ibno said, the firemen arrived at the location 14 minutes after receiving an emergency call at 11.45 am.
“The vehicle was already 100 percent destroyed when our team arrived. We conducted the firefighting operation using one water jet from a 200-foot auxiliary hose line. There were no casualties reported,” revealed Jehrey.
The operation, involving five firemen, managed to control the blaze within 21 minutes and concluded by 12.47 pm. The actual causes of both incidents are still under investigation by the authorities. – James Leong
