JOHOR BARU: A Chinese male national died, while a local man suffered first-degree burns in a house fire on Jalan Bertam 15, Taman Daya here on Wednesday (April 16) night.
Tebrau Fire and Rescue Station (BBP) senior operations commander Assistant Fire Officer Muhamad Syahhir Ikhwan Mohamad said they received an emergency call regarding the incident at 10.54pm before two Fire Rescue Tender (FRT) units and two Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) units with a strength of 19 personnel were dispatched to the scene.
He said that upon the arrival of the Operations Release Team (PKO), it was confirmed that there was indeed a fire in a single-storey terrace house, which was estimated to be 80 per cent destroyed.
"PKO acted to extinguish the fire using two 200-foot hoses, one 'breaching' line, and two pump water sources from the fire engine.
"There were seven victims involved, and one of them was found unconscious in the toilet. The victim was confirmed dead by the Health Ministry staff and handed over to the police for further action," he said in a statement today.
Muhamad Syahhir Ikhwan said the owner of the house, a local man, suffered first-degree burns, while an Indonesian woman, a Bangladeshi man, and three other victims were reported safe.
"It is understood that six other victims were tenants in the house. The operation was completed at 1.30am this morning," he said.
Meanwhile, the Johor Baru South district police chief ACP Raub Selamat confirmed the incident in a separate statement.
"A Chinese man known as Wu Zhongdi, 47, was found dead. However, the cause of the fire is still under investigation and no criminal elements have been detected at this time," he also said. - Bernama
