CAMERON HIGHLANDS: Firemen were left perplexed when they rushed to rescue a man believed to be trapped inside a burning house in Brinchang near here today but found no one inside the premises.
They instead found the 53-year-old man unconscious inside a storeroom about 5m away from the burning house in Jalan Kuari.
He was rushed to the Sultanah Hajjah Kalsom Hospital in Tanah Rata where he was confirmed dead by paramedics.
Zone 3 Fire and Rescue Department head Shahrulnizam Nasir said when firemen reached the scene about 2.15pm, they were informed there was a man believed to be trapped inside the burning house.
"Firemen tried to douse the fire and locate the victim but could not find anyone. The man was later found lying unconscious inside the storeroom which was not far from his house.
"The EMRS (Emergency Medical Rescue Service) van rushed the man to hospital where he was confirmed dead," he said when contacted.
Shahrulnizam said 14 firemen from the Cameron Highlands and Ringlet fire stations were deployed to the scene after being alerted of the incident.
"Fireman managed to put out the fire about 3.30pm. The house was about 90 per cent burnt," he said, adding that the cause of the fire was being investigated.
Meanwhile, Cameron Highlands police chief Assistant Superintendent Mohd Shamsuri Mohd Nor said the storeroom where the victim was found had been spared in the fire.
"Preliminary investigations show there was no criminal element. We believe he might have entered the storeroom to escape the fire.
"Checks revealed he might have accidentally locked himself inside the storeroom and was unable to get out. A post mortem will be conducted tomorrow," he added.
