KOTA KINABALU: An elderly woman was killed in a late-night fire that had possibly started long before firemen were alerted to the incident in the northern Kudat district.
Sabah Fire and Rescue Department officials said the victim, who lived in a double-storey house in Kampung Pituru, had been identified as Lo Hiong Lan, 76.
According to Kudat fire station chief Ishak Jabas, Lo’s charred remains were found in the living room on the ground floor.
“Based on where the victim was found, we believe she was trying to escape the burning house,” he said when contacted.
The blaze, he said, reportedly started before 9pm on Sunday but firemen only received a distress call at 10.10pm and arrived at the scene, some 45km away on gravel road, at 10.46pm.
Ishak said villagers had managed to assist in putting out the fire using buckets of water and hoses, dousing the flames prior to the firemen’s arrival.
The house and a vehicle parked beside it were destroyed in the incident, he added.
“The property was on private land surrounded by oil palm trees, with minimal to zero telecommunication links in there,” he added.
Ishak said the remains of the victim were handed over to the police for further action.
