Hero dies after rescuing seven from fire

Terrible tragedy: A policeman looking at the extent of the damage caused by the fire.

KOTA KINABALU: A man braved through a burning house and saved a family of seven but sadly he did not survive the heroic feat.

Gillian Donald, 41, dashed into the house despite the raging flames and succeeded in pulling out every occupant to safety.

He rescued six females and one male, three of them children. They were aged between four and 67.

“He became exhausted and collapsed,” said Labuan police chief Supt Mohd Hamizi Halim of the tragedy which happened at about 4am yesterday at Lot 24, Merinding Garden in Labuan.

Supt Mohd Hamizi said efforts to revive Donald by using cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) failed.

“He was sent to the hospital but a medical officer confirmed the man died possibly due to suffocation as a result of over inhalation of smoke,” he said, adding there were no visible injuries on the body but that investigations were on-going.

In a statement, Supt Mohd Hamizi said an initial probe by the fire department indicated that the fire could have started from a vehicle, belonging to the homeowner, which was parked outside before it spread to the house.

He said two of the female occupants of the house received treatment for injuries sustained in the fire.

It is learned the two – a teenager and an adult female – suffered burns. They passed out after being rescued.

All the seven people rescued, who are Donald’s neighbours, were reported to be in stable condition.