Church Fire kills boy; injured dad and brother
BELURAN:
A 11-year-old boy was killed when a fire broke out in a church at Kampung Iran, Jalan Kolapis here on Sunday night. El Frince Lee’s charred remains were found in a room of the church where he was staying with his family. His father, Lee Pui Yong, 43, and elder bother, El Jiran Lee, 12, were seriously injured in the fire and are currently warded in the Intensive Care Unit of the Duchess of Kent Hospital in Sandakan. Another of El Frince’s younger sibling sustained minor injuries while his mother and his sister escaped unhurt. Lee and El Jiran were believed to have been injured while trying to save El Frince, the second child in the family from the burning building, District Police Chief DSP Fadril Mohd Au said. According to Fadzil, the fire broke out about 9.05pm and was believed to have been sparked off by a candle. “The electricity to the town was cut off about 3pm on Sunday and the blackout lasted into the night,” he said, adding that Lee was the caretaker of the church and lived there with his family. Fadzil also said the police, who were informed of the fire, reported it to the Sandakan Fire and Rescue Services Department which dispatched a fire engine with seven firemen to the town located 90 kilometres away. “As the firemen were heading to the village, they received another call reporting of a fire that broke out at the stalls owned by the Beluran District Council,” Fadzil said, adding that the second fire broke out about 10pm. The second fire which destroyed 10 stalls, was also believed to haven been started by a candle, he said. However, no one was hurt in the second incident and the fire was prevented from spreading and causing damage to the other stalls.
