KENINGAU: The Mansiat Health Clinic at Jalan Tulid, Sook, located around 40 kilometres (km) from Keningau town was destroyed in a fire Tuesday afternoon, but no casualties were reported.
The Sabah Fire and Rescue Department operations centre said in a statement that the department received a call about the fire at 4.48pm.
“Eight officers and personnel from the Sook Fire and Rescue Station rushed to the location of the fire to put out the blaze.
“Upon arrival, they discovered the clinic, which was made of wood, was totally burnt down,” the statement read, adding that the team brought the fire under control around 6pm and were still investigating the cause of the fire while losses were still being determined.
A local, Rianna Malaju, 22, said residents initially were concerned as the clinic was far from Keningau town, but were grateful that firefighters responded fast.
“The clinic has been around since the 1970s and it has made it easy for villagers to get treatment and health services but now it’s destroyed. We hope the authorities will take swift action to rebuild the clinic,” said the school clerk.