The quick actions of the firemen in Kota Kinabalu led to the successful rescue of six tourists at a backpackers lodge when a fire broke out on the third floor of the building on Tuesday morning (Feb 6).
The firemen were able to safely bring down the mainly European and Western tourists who were trapped by the fire and smoke inside the premises at Kampung Air in the town center at around 8:30 am.
A spokesperson for the Sabah Fire and Rescue Department operations center mentioned that the five women and one man were brought down with the use of a ladder.
The tourists who were rescued were identified as Roxanne Laura, 25, from Switzerland, Daniella Maria, 25, from the United States, Katyleen Marie-Gisele, 28, from France, Gabriela from Slovakia, Anatasia from Russia, and Shunsuke from Japan.
Fortunately, none of them sustained any injuries or harm.
The spokesperson stated that they received a distress call at 8:49 am and deployed a total of 35 firemen in three fire engines to the scene.
“A fire in one of the five guest rooms destroyed the entire room while the other rooms were affected by the smoke and heat,” the spokesperson added.
The firemen were able to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading to other premises in the block.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is currently underway.
