BINTULU: A fire at a longhouse in Selangau last night resulted in a disabled woman being burned to death and her elderly mother suffering burns.
The Sarawak Fire & Rescue Department operations centre said in a statement today that Riti Jubi, 43, died in the fire which destroyed the 22-door Chandi Longhouse and her mother, Diah Bunyah, 80 suffered 10 per cent burns.
“During the fire, only Riti and Diah were in the longhouse as the other residents were attending a funeral in the neighbourhood and some of the quarters were unoccupied,” it said. It is estimated that the longhouse has 300 residents.
The statement said Riti’s charred body was handed over to the Mukah police.
“The Tatau fire station, 60 km away, was notified of the fire at 8.25 pm. Firefighters had a tough time getting access to the longhouse due to the remote location and undulating terrain.
“The absence of telecommunications coverage also hampered the firefighting operation,” it said, adding that the fire was put out at 2.30 am today. – Bernama
