KOTA KINABALU: A middle-aged man was found dead following a fire in a water village squatter settlement in the Tawau district early Wednesday.
The charred remains of 60-year-old Salleh Alih were discovered only when his family realised he was missing, hours after the fire at Kg Air, Lorong Cempaka, Batu 4, had been extinguished.
Tawau Fire Station chief Jemishin Ujin said they were initially unaware of the missing person, as the family had not informed them during the first sweep of the destroyed structure.
"The family may have forgotten or simply not realised that the victim was not with them, as the situation was quite chaotic," he said when contacted. He added that one house was destroyed in the blaze.
He explained that firemen were unable to access deeper areas of the damaged structure, as most of the flooring had been completely burnt.
It was only around 2pm when villagers who had returned to the scene noticed the charred remains in what used to be the kitchen and notified the authorities once more, Jemishin said.
The body was later retrieved and handed over to the police for further action, while investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.
Earlier, Jemishin said, firemen received a distress call about the fire at 6:59am and arrived at the scene by 7:14am.
Firemen brought the blaze under control at 8:07am and concluded their operations by 8:54am, only to return later when they received information about the missing victim.
