TWO houses, one with an extension, were destroyed in a huge fire that occurred at around noon yesterday at Simpang 188, along Jalan Muara in Kg Delima.
While there were no casualties, the Fire and Rescue Department estimated that there were at least 24 people whose lives were affected by the fire, including a local Malay family of seven who owned one of the houses with the extension that was rented by a number of foreign families.
Loveria Villa and her husband had all their belongings lost in the flames.
"I was on my way home from work when I saw the smoke,"said Loveria who was on the verge of tears when The Brunei Times interviewed her.
"We lost all of our possessions, the TV, fridge," she added.
Another victim, also a Filipino, Franklin Pacris, was not at home when the fire struck the extension where he lived with his wife and baby son.
"I rushed back home as soon as I got called," he said. His wife was also working at the time of the incident and they were both relieved that their son, who was being cared for by another tenant in another building, was safe. However, they had lost everything in the fire, including important documentation such as their passports.
"I only have my bag now," Franklin said, showing the backpack he took with him to work.
Their neighbour, Judy Toniacao, also from the Philippines, was at home looking after her son and Franklin's boy.
"When I heard people shouting about the fire, I took the two babies and ran," said Judy who added that she was terrified and so did not stop to pick up any of her own belongings.
Judy and her family, consisting of six people also living within that building, said that they had no idea where they were going to go. "We need help," said Judy's mother. "We have lost everything."
The entire family and other victims stood there in shock as they watched firemen continue to extinguish the flames.
Another victim, Abdul Mannan, a worker from Bangladesh, was inside one of the houses when the fire occurred.
"I had just finished lunch," said Abdul, "then my brother shouted that there was a fire and told us to run."
Abdul only managed to retrieve two clothes that he bought for Hari Raya, and lost everything else in the flames.
"I don't even have sandals now," said Abdul who was standing barefooted with his brother. Both looked unsure at what to do next.
Officials from the Fire and Rescue Department stated that they received a distress call from the public at approximately 12.28pm, and responded immediately.
Three separate sections from Berakas, the Women's Operation Unit in Berakas and Lambak Kanan responded to the fire with around 20 firefighters. The first unit arrived within two minutes of receiving the alert and extinguished the fire within 16 minutes of arrival.
According to the officials, the fire was made worse by the windy weather and the fact that one of the houses was made of wood.
Eyewitness reports said that the fire spread from the second level of one of the house to the adjacent house. The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Fire and Rescue Department.
Social workers from the Community Development Department (Japem) who were also on site said that Japem will provide rations for one week which include blankets, pillows and mattresses to the victims. As of press time, providing temporary shelter was not included in the list.
However, according to the social workers, they will be conducting investigations to determine how they can provide further assistance.
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