Fire destroys longhouse, kills octogenarian

BINTANGOR: A fire destroyed the 80m-long, 38-door Rumah Lambang longhouse in the Bintangor district, central Sarawak at noon on Wednesday.

In a report, the State Fire and Rescue Department said firefighters from the Bintangor Bomba station are at the site.

At 2.30pm, they uncovered the charred remains of a person, and believe the deceased was an elderly woman in her 80s, based on information from residents.

Although the longhouse is believed to have housed 200 residents, Bomba Bintangor officers at the site are trying to ascertain the actual number of residents, and are also trying to determine the cause of the fire.

Welfare authorities have also been alerted.

Source: thestar.com

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