KOTA KINABALU: An early morning fire destroyed 11 houses and a furniture factory at Kampung Cempaka in Kepayan, here, Sunday. However, nobody was injured. It is believed that the fire started from a house belonging to a family of six.
The 50-year-old house owner, known only as Hasnah, claimed they were awakened by thick smoke coming from one of the two bedrooms, prompting them to rush out.
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"I suspect that a mouse might have knocked a lamp onto the floor which triggered the fire," she said, adding that they could not salvage anything because the fire spread very fast.
"All I could think of was to save my family, including my husband who had suffered a stroke," said the Filipina who estimated loss to be RM20,000.
Rocky, in his 40s, and his 35-year-old wife, Nurshima, also lost their belongings in the fire but were grateful that their four children are all safe.
Another 49-year-old known only as Mat said he was not aware of the fire if not for his youngest daughter who woke the family up.
"We are lucky she woke us up," he said, adding that they lost all their belongings, including electrical appliances.
Owners of the furniture factory, known only as Kwong and Lee, in their 60s, said they have been renting the piece of land for the past 30 years.
"We lost some four to five furniture making machines and the fire also caused damages to the roof. We estimate losses to be at least RM150,000," said Kwong.
Meanwhile, 29 personnel from the Kota Kinabalu and Lintas Fire and Rescue Department rushed to the scene after receiving a call at about 3.42am.
