ENGKILILI, May 19 – A total of 15 doors of a two-storey longhouse at Rumah Litong, Nanga Kesit Lemanak were completely destroyed in a fire that broke out around 10:00am this morning.
The longhouse, a semi-permanent wooden structure, was 100% destroyed by the flames. Thankfully, all residents managed to escape unharmed.
Sarawak Zone 3 Fire Chief, Muhammad Rais Adham Rosalan, said that the Betong Fire and Rescue Department (BBP) along with support from BBP Sri Aman and the Betong Volunteer Fire Brigade (PBS) received a distress call at around 10:03am and quickly responded.
“Upon arrival, our team found that the fire had engulfed a two-storey longhouse, which was already fully consumed by flames,” he said in a statement.
A total of 20 firefighters from Betong BBP, led by Muhammad Badrulamin Mohamad Fodzi, were deployed to the scene and immediately began fire suppression efforts. They used three water streams drawn from an open water source (a nearby river), with hoses stretched 300 feet to reach the fire.
At the time of reporting, extinguishing and clean-up operations were still ongoing at the scene.
This tragic incident serves as a stark reminder of the fire safety risks faced by rural communities, especially those living in traditional longhouses made of wood.
Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire.
