SIBU: In a desperate bid to escape a fire, six guests climbed out from the windows of their hotel rooms when their exit route was blocked by thick smoke.
The guests – two men and four women – shouted and waited for help on the awning as well as balcony of the budget hotel, located in a three-storey shoplot in Jalan Emplan here.
They were soon rescued by firemen.
Prompt response: Firefighters using a ladder to rescue one of the hotel guests.
Sibu Fire and Rescue Department chief Andy Alie said his department received a distress call on the fire at the budget hotel at 9.13am yesterday.
A total of 10 firefighters from the central station, which is just 300m away, rushed to the scene.
“The fire had started from a room on the first floor and soon spread,” he said.
He added that the victims were forced to climb out of the windows as the main access was covered with smoke.
“Nobody was injured in the fire,” Alie said, adding that the premises suffered some 30% damage.
