By Yussof J. Imbang
TONGOD: There is an urgent need to build a fire station in Tongod to ensure quick response in case of fires and natural disasters.
Kuamut assemblyman Datuk Masiung Banah said that even though this rural area is not included in the fire station planning zone, the long distance to the fire stations in Kinabatangan and Beluran makes quick action difficult.
“The placement procedure for fire stations is clearly not relevant, as the lives and property of the people are far more important,” he said during a visit to fire victims in Kampung Seri Menanti, Penangah, 30 kilometres away, on Wednesday.
He urged the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) of Malaysia to review the fire station placement eligibility procedures, as they do not support effective and quick safety actions.
Masiung expressed regret that it took the fire department nearly five hours to reach the site of a fire that destroyed 56 houses in Kampung Seri Menanti, Penangah, last Sunday.
He noted that the distance between the fire stations in Kinabatangan and Beluran exceeds 200 kilometres, along with the hilly terrain making access difficult.
The chairman of the Housing Development Board (LPPB), who holds a ministerial rank, wants senior KPKT officials to visit Tongod, which is larger than the state of Kedah.
In the tragedy on the eve of Malaysia Day on September 15, 56 houses were gutted by fire, leaving 81 families homeless and 303 residents with nothing.
“The incident started at 7:00 PM, initially involving three houses, but the fire spread, destroying 56 homes,” he said.
All victims are now housed in two halls in Penangah, which have been turned into temporary shelters under the supervision of the Department of Social Welfare, he said.
