PASIR GUDANG: A four-year-old boy was killed in a lorry fire near the Iskandar Halal Park in Cahaya Baru here.
Pasir Gudang Fire and Rescue Station operations commander Iszahwati Supardi said the department received an emergency call at 10.46am on Friday (March 27).
“A Fire Rescue Tender (FRT) with six personnel was dispatched to the scene, located about 11km from the station, and arrived at 10.58am,” she said.
Iszahwati said that upon their arrival at the scene, firefighters found a lorry, without any load, engulfed in flames.
“The fire had already spread to about 60% of the front section of the lorry,” she added.
Members of the public had attempted to extinguish the fire before the firefighters arrived.
“They used six dry powder fire extinguishers and even a backhoe to throw soil onto the flames,” Iszahwati said.
Two victims were involved in the incident.
The lorry driver, an adult male and the victim’s father, managed to save himself. However, the young boy who was also inside the vehicle during the incident could not be rescued.
“The child was found burnt and pronounced dead at the scene,” Iszahwati said.
Firefighters carried out extinguishing operations using a hose line from the fire engine pump until the blaze was completely put out.
The operation fully concluded at about 1.30pm, with the team ensuring the area was safe before returning to the station.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
