RM700 poultry go up in smoke as car catches fire
Published on: Thursday, August 22, 2013
Kota Kinabalu: About RM700 worth of poultry went up in smoke when the Toyota Corolla vehicle transporting it caught fire near the courthouse roundabout in Kg Air, here, Wednesday. The Toyota's 31-year-old driver, Hendry Sempion, said he was making his rounds sending poultry supply to Kg Air when he heard a popping sound coming from the engine as he approached the roundabout. Hendry, who sustained minor lacerations to his body, said it caught fire the moment he stepped out of the 30-year-old vehicle, adding that he had just sent the vehicle for servicing two weeks ago.
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It was learnt that he was going on his normal routine of sending poultry supplies to Kg Air and Sadong Jaya when the 9.35am incident occurred. No other vehicles were affected by the fire. Meanwhile, a Deputy Public Prosecutor Luke Ressa Balang, whose Honda Civic vehicle was parked nearby, said he rushed to the scene just in time to move his vehicle away before it too caught fire. "I just arrived at the court building, kept my briefcase and was about to have breakfast in a canteen nearby when I heard that a vehicle had burst into flames," he said. Five personnel from the Kota Kinabalu Fire and Rescue Department rushed to the scene following a distress call at about 9.55am.
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City Police Chief ACP Jauteh Dikun, who was also at the scene, said there were no elements indicating foul play in the incident. "Faulty wiring might have triggered the fire but it is not unusual for old vehicles to have some technical problems here and there," he said, adding that it is a lesson to people to always ensure their vehicles are in tip-top condition.
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Also at the scene was his Deputy Supt M. Chandra. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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