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MIRI – Firefighters in Kuching carried out a heroic rescue of an elderly man who was trapped inside a burning double-storey house shortly after midnight.
The Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department said 73-year-old Oew Boi Hon was saved from the blaze in the Sg Maong Ulu 3 housing estate in the city.
The department said firefighters from the Batu Lintang and Tabuan Jaya fire stations were dispatched to the scene after receiving a distress call from members of the public.
“He was rescued after being trapped in the house, which was completely engulfed by fire,” it said in a statement.
“He had been rushed to hospital with burn injuries on his face, hands and legs.”
The department said there were two occupants in the house at the time of the incident.
The other person in the house, it said, was 71-year-old woman Ling Hie Eng, who managed to escape the fire on her own without sustaining any injuries.
The incident site is located in the residential area inside the city centre along the Stapok highway.
The department said the fire was brought under control at 12.39am.
It added that the firefighters at the scene managed to break through the flames to rescue the man using rescue tools and safety gears. – The Vibes, March 28, 2023