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Inferono Destroy 24 Houses in Kampong Ayer
Fire broke out at Kampong Lorong Dalam and Kampong Pandai Besi. (PHOTO Courtesy of Brudirect.com)
December 8th, 2016 | 06:01 AM | 2599 views
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
A total of 24 houses caught fire yesterday which resulted in an overwhelming loss of property. The Massive fire that broke out yesterday destroyed homes Kampong Lorong Dalam and Kampong Pandai Besi in Kampong Ayer.
A total of 13 houses in Kampong Lorong Dalam and 11 houses from Kampong Pandai Besi were affected in the blast which spread quick because of solid winds.
Luckily, no casualties were reported. Present to assess the situation were Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong, the Minister of Home Affairs, and Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports.
Speaking to the Media, Haji Abu Bakar bin Haji Chuchu, Village Head of Kampong Lorong Dalam, also the Acting Village Head of Kampong Sungai Pandan 'A and 'B', Mukim Burong Pingai Ayer, said that he was attending to a village resident's housing application at his office at midday when an explosion was heard.
"We thought that the fire broke out in Kampong Sungai Pandan but we found out soon after that it began in Kampong Pandai Besi."
"The village residents were very cooperative in lending a helping hand to transfer flammable items such as gas cylinders to prevent the fire from spreading farther," he said.
"We cannot blame anyone as what happened here was by the will of Allah the Almighty. The Fire and Rescue Department put a lot of effort in extinguishing the flames with assistance from the villagers. My home was also close by to the fire and had it reached my home, I wouldn't have been able to do much," he added.
In an interview, the Minister of Home Affairs said that at 12.15pm Fire and Rescue Department received an emergency call and at that time the fire had spread to three houses.
The department deployed fire and rescue teams from the Sungai Lampai and the Sungai Kebun stations.
"According to the villagers, the river was at low tide at the time, so it was difficult for the Fire and Rescue teams to extinguish the fire because they were forced to use a longer hose. Another difficulty was the presence of strong winds. However we are grateful that the residents of Kampong Pandai Besi and Kampong Lorong Dalam cooperated in evacuating valuables and flammable items to reduce danger," he added.
He said that in order to assist the operation, personnel from the Pengkalan Batu Fire Station, Berakas Fire Station, and
Beribi Fire Station brought water. With all the assistance received, the blaze was controlled at 2.05pm.
The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports said his ministry will help the casualties moved to reasonable spots where they will be provided with early emergency assistance in the form of food and sleeping gear among others.
As of now, several places have been identified and prepared, among them include Sungai Kebun Menjalin Sports Complex, Youth Centre in Bandar Seri Begawan and the Sports Village. Also at times like these, relatives will come forward to provide the victims with shelter, as Bruneians are known to have close ties. But if assistance is needed, the ministry has prepared all required facilities for them," he said.
Other agencies that were also present to assist the victims were the Community Development Department (JAPEM) and the Brunei-Muara District Office.
Source:
@BRUDIRECT.COM
by BruDirect.com
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