MIRI – The safety of longhouses populated by natives in Sarawak will be placed under the microscope following the worrying frequency of fires involving such buildings.
State Deputy Premier Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian said his ministry is carrying out a thorough study on the matter.
“There have been so many longhouse fires, including in recent times,” he said. “We in the ministry are carrying out a study involving the Sarawak Building Ordinance on making smoke-detector fire alarms compulsory for buildings.
“This will certainly include the safety aspects of longhouses where there have been many fire outbreaks,” he said during a Gawai Dayak gathering in Kuching.
Dr Sim, who is state minister for housing and local government, said that his ministry is liaising with the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department and other building experts on the safety review.
Amendments will be made to the ordinance to enforce new safety features, he said.
The state Public Communication Unit today posted the latest remarks by Dr Sim through social media updates.
On June 2, yet another longhouse was razed to the ground in central Sarawak as the Gawai Dayak festival turned out to be a fiery one.
Rumah Nyalai near Sibu district was destroyed by flames around 8pm.
The Sibu Fire and Rescue Station received an emergency alert and rushed firefighters to the site, but the structure was already consumed by flames.
At least 80 people were living in the 12 housing units built next to each other in the longhouse, said the department in a press statement.
The longhouse was totally razed but all the occupants managed to escape the fire, it added. The cause of the fire and the damages are being investigated.
That was the second longhouse fire in central Sarawak in the past week.
On May 30, another longhouse located in Pakan district was razed, leaving about a hundred people homeless.
The longhouse called Rumah Selusin is located in the remote reaches of Pakan district. – The Vibes, June 5, 2023
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