KOTA MARUDU: The brave attempt of a brother who ran through flames and suffered severe burns while trying to save his younger brother, a person with disabilities (OKU), in a fire incident at Kampung Torintidon, here, ended in tragedy.
In the 3am incident, Wednesday, 16-year-old Lorex Sindam was found burnt to death, while elder brother, 28-year-old Razani Sindam, suffered burns over almost his entire body.
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Kota Marudu District Police Chief Supt Simiun Lomudin said there were four family members in the house — the husband, wife and their two sons.
He said at about 2am, the father, Sindam Tarintim, noticed sparks coming from the electrical meter box in his house. Suddenly, the fire flared up and quickly spread to the living room area.
“Sindam immediately woke up his two sons in their room and tried to pry open the kitchen floor to create an escape route for himself and his family members as the fire was rapidly engulfing the entire house.
“However, Lorex was unable to save himself due to his body size and weight, which made it difficult for him to move quickly. He also suffered from Down syndrome and autism. He was trapped in the fire.
“Razani tried to save Lorex but failed. His attempt caused him to suffer burns over almost his entire body,” he said
Simiun said Razani would be sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital for further treatment, while Lorex’s body was taken by police to Kota Marudu Hospital in Jalan Lotong for a post-mortem examination.
Kota Marudu Fire and Rescue Station (BBP) Chief, Assistant Fire Superintendent Debli Mamoi, said 10 firefighters along with a fire engine and a utility vehicle rushed to the scene, located 22km away, upon receiving an emergency call at 3.23am.
However, the fire engine was only able to travel about 14km to an area near SK Lampada before continuing the journey using utility vehicles due to the unpaved road conditions leading to the village.
