DARO: A man suffering from a mental problem allegedly set his house on fire in Kampung Bertanak, Pulau Bruit last Wednesday (July 20).
The fire, which was extinguished by the villagers, had caused damages to the living room and bedroom of the house.
It was reported that the suspect was staying alone there as his brother claimed he was suffering from a mental problem. The suspect was unharmed in the incident and was handed over by the public to Daro police to facilitate investigation after he was reported to have deliberately set his house on fire.
According to a media statement, a spokesman from the Sarawak Fire Department (Bomba), they received a distress call around 11.30pm and immediately despatched firemen from Daro station to the scene over a distance of about 26km.
However, the team only managed to arrive at the scene an hour later as they had to cross the river by a ferry.
Upon arriving, they found that the flames were already doused off by the local villagers using buckets and water from the water storage tank.
The team only carried out monitoring to ensure that the fire would not reignite.