TAWAU: An elderly man was burnt to death after a fire destroyed his house in Lorong Cempaka, Batu 4, Jalan Apas, near here yesterday morning.
The body of Salleh Alih, 60, was only discovered by the public at about 2.04pm, more than five hours after firefighters had extinguished the fire at the scene.
Tawau Fire and Rescue Station chief Jemishin Ujin said the operation to extinguish the fire concluded at 8.54am, but the victim was not found at the scene at that time.
"We found that the incident did not involve any casualties at that time.
"However, at 1.53pm we received a call informing us about the discovery of a charred human remains," he said.
He said firemen once again rushed to the scene of the incident and found that the victim was burnt in the kitchen.
"The victim's body was found under a pile of rubble and a secluded area of the room," he said when contacted today.
He said the body was then handed over to the police.