BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

THE Fire and Rescue Department said an electrical spark was to blame for the Monday fire that caused three people to suffer severe burns at a Kg Anggerek Desa flat.

“It was believed that the fire was caused by faulty electrical outlets and outdated appliances such as old wiring,” it said in a statement yesterday.

The department said the fire, which was controlled within five minutes, had damaged two bedrooms and living room on the second floor of the Block C15 Universiti Brunei Darussalam flat.

One of the relatives of the victims, Izan Hj Sulaiman, said the two children are currently being treated at the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital.

When contacted, the hospital declined to comment on the victims’ condition because of its patient confidentiality policy.

A police spokesperson said the victims who suffered burns were the 37-year-old father, and his two daughters aged five and three.

Speaking to The Brunei Times, Izan said the fire started from the children’s room while they were sleeping.

“Their father was not aware about the fire until he heard his daughter screaming for help,” she said.

She said the father risked his life to save his daughters.

“They are still kids and they might have no idea about the risk of fire until it spread and burned their skin.”

Izan said the mother was at work when the fire broke out at the flat, while the eldest child was at school.

She added that three other children, who were also at home at the time, were not injured in the fire after they managed to escape.

She further said the family received donations from government agencies and the private sector yesterday.

Izan said she received the donations on behalf of her brother, which included groceries and clothing, within hours after their text requesting for assistance went viral.

“We just wanted to help our brother and his family. We sent the information on social media without pictures and within hours we received a lot of responses, such as Royal Brunei (RB) Airlines and DST,” she said.

The Brunei Times