SANDAKAN: An elderly man was found burnt to death after a house fire at Kampung Mumiang here on Tuesday night (March 24) with firefighters facing delays in reaching the scene due to access constraints.
The victim, Lee Thung Mong, 77, was discovered inside the house by a General Operations Force team at the scene.
Sandakan Fire and Rescue Station chief PKPgB Jimmy Lagung said the victim’s charred remains were found in the debris after the fire which was reported at about 7.19pm.
He said access to the location proved difficult as there were no land routes and sea conditions were affected by low tide.
Firefighters had to rely on a boat from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency to reach the village, arriving at 11.40pm.
"The operation faced difficulties due to the absence of land access and low tide conditions, as movement to the location depended on other agency boats," he said in a statement.
The fire involved a non-permanent house measuring about 20 by 30 square feet which was completely destroyed.
Villagers had attempted to put out the fire using water pumps before firefighters arrived.
Firefighters from the Sandakan station later extinguished the remaining flames and retrieved the body from the house.
The body was then handed over to the police for further action.
Operations were fully concluded at 12.35am today after ensuring the area was safe.
