KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Fire and Rescue Department director Nordin Pauzi’s swift action prevented a fire from destroying an ambulance at Jalan Hospital Queen Elizabeth Hospital here, on Saturday night.
In the 7.40pm incident, the ambulance was ferrying a patient and three others to Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1 from Kota Marudu when it suddenly caught fire.
Nordin said he had just finished jogging at a nearby park and was driving home when he spotted the burning ambulance.
“I saw plumes of smoke coming out of the ambulance’s bonnet. Without hesitation, I stopped my car and rushed to the scene.
“As soon as I arrived, I asked a nearby security guard to grab several fire extinguishers, which I used to put out the fire.
“Not long after, a fire engine arrived to snuff the blaze,” he said when contacted today.
Nordin said his quick action prevented the fire from spreading to other parts of the ambulance and other vehicles nearby.
A district Fire and Rescue Department spokesman confirmed that four people were on board the vehicle at the time of the incident, and that no casualties were reported.
He said the department received a call about the incident at 7.49pm and dispatched 10 firemen to the scene to extinguish the fire.
“As a result, 20 per cent of the ambulance was burnt. However, investigations are underway to determine the cause of the fire,” he said in a statement today.
He said the fire could have started as a result of issues with the vehicles’s engine, adding that the blaze was put out by 8.10pm.