LAHAD DATU: A man in his 40s suffered burns while escaping his house fire at Kampung Tabanak, here, Wednesday.
The homeowner was doing household chores when he smelt smoke and heard neighbours shouting.
Unable to salvage any personal documents, he suffered burns as he fled the engulfed wooden structure.
Lahad Datu Fire and Rescue Station Chief Sumsoa Rashid said a distress call was received at 10.32am, with fire engines arriving six minutes later.
“The house was already fully engulfed in flames upon our arrival. Our priority was preventing the fire from spreading to neighbouring homes while bringing the blaze under control,” Sumsoa said, adding that the fire was contained by 12.09pm.
Neighbours transported the injured victim to a local hospital before firefighters arrived.
The operation concluded at 12.20pm. The cause of the fire and losses are under investigation.
