GEORGE TOWN, Oct 29 — An Indonesian man who rented a room was killed while four other compatriots including two women survived when fire razed two shophouses on Lebuh Melaka, here, early this morning.
However, so far the identity of the dead had not been ascertained and he was believed to have been trapped on the top floor of the two-storey shophouse that caught fire.
Jalan Perak Fire and Rescue Station chief, A’Azelan Hassan said they received a distress call regarding the fire at 6.01am and the first firemen in a fire engine, which arrived at the location within 10 minutes after being alerted, found the fire burning strongly.
"The fire fighters immediately started work to put out the blaze and managed to rescue two Indonesian men and a woman, aged 33 to 39 years. One of the men and the woman each had burns on the palms and soles when they tried to save themselves while the other man suffered a broken arm.
"We also rescued a 43-year-old Indonesian woman who was trapped in a room upstairs who suffered from more than 60 per cent burns. All four victims were sent to Penang Hospital (HPP) for treatment," he said when contacted today.
A’Azelan said the dead victim was found on the floor and he was believed to have tried to save himself but could not make it in time because the fire was very intense and the man's body was sent to HPP for a post-mortem.
He said the cause of the fire and the losses were still under investigation. — Bernama
