KAPIT: The New Year is not joyful for four families of 17 people whose row of double-storey terraced houses at Taman Meratai 1, Jalan Selirik was destroyed by a fire in the wee hours of Thursday.
The families are those of Dapong Sempurai (5 people), Paul Jembu Jawa (4), Tuai Rumah Gon Manggom (3) and Andreas Bawing (5).
The actual number of survivors is actually twenty-nine – Dapong Sempurai (8), Jembu Jawa (5), Gon Manggom (10) and Petrus Adin Andreas (5) respectively. However, when the fire occurred only the seventeen persons were at home.
The Fire and Rescue Department Kapit was informed about the fire at 12.35am and they immediately dispatched a 12-member team that arrived at the scene a few minutes later. The police and two workers from Sesco were also involved.
Just after 1am the fire was put under control and by 3.55am it was completely extinguished. Two of the houses (belonging to Dapong and Paul Jembu) were completely destroyed while the other two were partially damaged.
Fortunately there was no human casualty in the fire. The cost of the damage has yet to be ascertained.
Among the properties that were lost to the fire were a car, a motorcycle, electrical appliances such as air-conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, furniture, valuables, personal belongings and identification papers.
The next day, a Bomba team went to the place to carry out their investigation. The fire was believed to have started about 12.30am on the upper floor of Dapong’s house.
The New Sarawak Tribune was told that before the fire, Dapong was watching television when he overheard sounds coming from the upper floor of his house.
Curious, he rushed to see what it was and he was stunned to see plumes of smoke inside the room. He immediately alerted his family members and they all rushed out.
Also present during the morning’s inspection were acting Kapit District Officer Abdul Malik Hashim, and administrative officer Wan Shukri (social development), members of the Civil Defence Force namely Juban Mustapha, Kilat Riang, Hamzah Sopie, staff of the Social Welfare Department (Jemat Kanchin, Yohannes Maleng, Zakara Wahid and Sylvester Sayut).
Bukit Goram assemblyman Jefferson Jamit Unyat, who is in Kuching on official business, had directed his PBB Bukit Goram deputy chairman Watson Awan and Cochran Amos from PBB Service Centre, to meet the fire survivors. He will visit them tomorrow upon his return here.
Penghulu Sia Shui Poh and SUPP Kapit chairman Ling Thian Ing and some of his committee members were also present to console the survivors.
