(From right) Ling Hii looks on as Ting presents a certificate to a participant of the community firefighters training.
THE number of longhouse fires in Sarawak has decreased by 9% from January to July compared to the same period last year.
Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department acting director Tiong Ling Hii said there were 10 longhouse fire incidents in the first seven months of this year, compared to 11 cases for the corresponding period in 2023.
“Of the 10 cases in 2024, there was a 54% reduction in the number of doors compared to last year.
“This shows a positive development in terms of the number of doors involved,” he said at the closing ceremony of the Dudong and Bawang Assan constituencies’ community firefighters training.
There are about 20 doors in a longhouse.
Ling Hii said longhouse losses due to fires this year was RM7.2mil compared to RM54.4mil last year, a decrease of 86.8%.
He attributed the drop in property losses to positive impact of programmes carried out by the department in collaboration with the public.
However, the value of property saved this year was RM1.6mil compared to RM14.9mil during the corresponding period last year – a decrease of 89%.
“We want to show success where the amount of property saved is higher than the losses but in longhouse fires, this is rarely the case,” he added.
Ling Hii said fires spread quickly in longhouses, hence making it difficult to save property.
Also present were Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing’s representative Joshua Ting Fu Ying, Bawang Assan assemblyman Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh and Zone 4 Fire and Rescue Department chief Andy Alie.
