Three people killed in two fires in east coast Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: Three people including a couple perished in two separate fires, 12 hours apart in Sabah's east coast Tawau and Kunak districts.

The husband and wife - aged 32 and 36 respectively - perished in their house when fire razed 40 houses at Kampung Sungai Buaya along Jalan Apas in Tawau at about 12.15am on Sunday (Jan 9).

A Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said seven others aged between six and 45 suffered minor burns in the fire that left about 100 to 150 people homeless.

The fire was brought under control at 2.07am before being put out at 4.55pm. The remains of the couple were found five minutes later.

The department's forensic division is carrying out further investigations to identify the cause of the fire.

In the second fire, hardly 12 hours later, a 64-year-old man perished after flames destroyed two blocks of a workers' quarters at Kunak Jaya in Kunak around noon on Sunday.

The senior citizen could not save himself after being trapped inside his house.

Firemen found the body at 2.25pm and investigations are being carried out to determine the cause of the fire.