SARIKEI : A fire broke out at the Kuala Rajang Aquaculture factory area along Jalan Industri here on Thursday morning, causing damage to a workers’ hostel block but leaving all workers safe.
The incident occurred within the Kuala Rajang Aquaculture premises, located under the P.208 Sarikei parliamentary constituency and DUN N.45 Repok. According to the Sarikei District Operations Control Center, an emergency call was received from members of the public at 8.52am reporting a fire at the location.
Following the alert, a team from the Sarikei District Malaysian Civil Defense Force moved out from the operations control center at 8.57am and arrived at the scene at about 9.00am. Initial observations confirmed that the fire involved a hostel block used by factory workers.
Further checks found that the affected building consisted of five hostel rooms and two storage areas. The fire was believed to have started at around 8.30am before becoming more intense by 8.45am. As a result of the incident, the estimated structural damage to the premises was assessed at around 30 percent.
At the time of the fire, there were approximately 50 to 60 workers within the factory compound. However, only two workers were staying in the hostel block that was affected. Fortunately, no casualties were reported and none of the workers required emergency medical assistance.
The Sarikei APM team, consisting of five personnel supported by an ambulance, carried out several initial response duties. These included controlling the surrounding area, ensuring public safety, assisting the fire brigade during extinguishing operations, managing traffic flow, and conducting safety monitoring until the situation was fully secured.
Firefighting and control operations involved close cooperation among several agencies, including APM Sarikei, the Sarikei Fire and Rescue Station, the Bintangor Fire and Rescue Station, Sarikei police, and Sarawak Energy. The combined effort ensured that the fire was brought under control without further spread to nearby structures.
The fire was successfully extinguished completely by the fire brigade, and the operation at the site was officially terminated once authorities confirmed the area was safe. The APM team departed the scene at 12.11pm and returned to the Sarikei District Operations Control Center at 12.15pm.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Sarikei Fire and Rescue Station. Meanwhile, the Sarikei District APM expressed appreciation to all agencies involved for their strong cooperation, which helped ensure the safety of workers and the smooth handling of the incident.
