LAHAD DATU: Firefighters from three districts in Sabah’s east coast responded to three separate emergencies within 24 hours, including a workshop fire, a shop fire, and a road accident. Fortunately, no casualties were reported in the incidents.
The Lahad Datu fire and rescue station received a distress call at 11.53 pm on Aug 9 regarding a vehicle that had skidded into a 10-metre-deep ravine near KM 14, Silam.
Firefighters arrived within 18 minutes but found no one at the scene. As a precaution, they disconnected the car battery to prevent potential fire hazards before wrapping up their operation.
In Telupid town, a fire broke out in the early hours of Sunday, destroying five wooden shops, 13 rented houses, and a semi-concrete house. The Beluran Fire and Rescue station received an emergency call at 1.09 am but took over two hours to reach the location, situated 100 km from their base.
After extinguishing the flames and conducting overhaul operations, they concluded their mission at 6.28 am. Personnel from the police, Civil Defence Force, and Sabah Electricity were also on-site to assist.
Meanwhile, a fire broke out at a heavy machinery workshop and an adjacent workers’ quarters along Jalan Pertukangan, off Mile 1½ Jalan Utara in Sandakan.
The Sandakan Fire and Rescue Department was alerted at 1.35 am and promptly despatched a team. They managed to control the fire by 2.07 am and fully extinguished it shortly after.
Fire and Rescue station office-in-charge Jimmy Lagung reported that the workshop was 95% destroyed, while the workers’ quarters sustained minor damage (5%). – James Leong
