Tuesday January 15, 2013

Bomba director: Fewer longhouse fires last year due to better awareness

KUCHING: Outbreak of fires in longhouses has dropped last year thanks to better awareness among longhouse residents.

State Fire and Rescue director Nor Hisham Mohammad said it had dropped by 33%.

“The number of cases involving longhouses have reduced from 27 in 2011 to 18 last year due to better fire prevention awareness among the people.

“The estimated property loss has also reduced,” he said.

The estimated property loss in fire involving longhouses last year amounted to RM38mil while estimated saved, RM17mil, which involved 587 doors in 18 cases, he said.

In 2011, estimated property loss in fire involving longhouses amounted to RM28mil while estimated saved, RM9mil, which involved 455 doors in 27 cases, he told a press conference here yesterday.

Overall, Sarawak recorded an estimated property loss of RM68mil in fire last year, said Hisham.

The estimated property saved from fire was about RM803mil, a sharp increase from RM258mil in 2011, he said.

“This is due to a luxury vessel which caught fire in Miri last year which amounted to RM299mil in estimated property saved. The estimated landed property saved from fire is RM500mil,” he said.

Hisham said the department handled 1,853 fire cases comprising 399 cases of structural fire (shops, factories, houses, etc), vehicles (135), forest (105), bush (732) and farmland (55) last year.

It received 4,178 distress calls comprising fire (1,853), rescue (2,325), special assignments (72) and crank calls (17), he said.

He said total calls on fire received were higher than in 2011 with an increase of 25.4% from 1,478 calls.

“The normal annual increase is between 5% and 6% but this time around it is more than 20%,” he said.

News

Tuesday January 15, 2013

Bomba director: Fewer longhouse fires last year due to better awareness