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TWO men suffered breathing difficulties after becoming trapped in a lift during a condominium fire in the early hours of Tuesday, while over 100 residents, including foreign and local tourists, were evacuated from the 25-storey building in a separate level five blaze.
The incident occurred around 1.50am, with rescue teams from the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) arriving shortly after a distress call was received at 1.57am.
Assistant Director of Operations, Muhammad Taqiuddin Victor Doon, said 15 firefighters from the Kota Kinabalu, Putatan and Penampang stations were dispatched to the scene.
“According to the operations commander, the fire involved construction materials on the fifth floor, within the parking area,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Two victims were trapped in the lift and successfully rescued. They were then given initial treatment by the Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) team after experiencing breathing difficulties.”
Firefighting operations were carried out using the building’s dry riser system, and the blaze was brought under control by 3.25am, with the operation concluded shortly thereafter once the site was deemed safe.
In a separate incident earlier the same night, a historic community hall in Jalan Dewan was destroyed in a fire.
The Kota Kinabalu Community Hall, a local landmark with over 60 years of history, caught fire around 12.30am. The fire engulfed approximately 80 per cent of the hall, though no injuries were reported.
“We received the emergency call at 12.44am and deployed 25 personnel from the Kota Kinabalu Fire Station, assisted by teams from Lintas and Penampang,” said Muhammad Taqiuddin.
“Upon arrival, the hall was almost entirely ablaze, including an adjacent storage facility for recyclable items.”
Firefighters battled the blaze using a single hose line with five jets drawing water from the fire engine. The fire was brought under control by 2.41am and operations were wrapped up at 3.33am.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The Kota Kinabalu Community Hall has long served as a central venue for public gatherings, cultural performances and community programmes dating back to the early development of the city. - July 29, 2025
