MARAN: Firefighters were forced to cut the metal grill bars on the upper floor of a burning double-storey shophouse in Maran to rescue an elderly woman today.
The 61-year-old victim, who was trapped on the first floor, sustained injuries in the 6.40am incident and was taken to the nearby hospital.
State Fire and Rescue Department public relations officer Zulfadli Zakaria said it received a distress call at 6.40am before 28 firemen from the Maran, Jengka and Bukit Angin fire stations were deployed to the scene.
"When firemen arrived, the ground floor of three units of shophouses was burning and a woman was trapped on the upper floor of one of the premises.
"Firefighters used a ladder to reach the victim and brought her down by cutting through the grill bars with a saw.
"The injured victim was helped down the ladder before being handed to the medical team.
"Firemen managed to control the fire from spreading to the other premises," he said in a statement here today.
Zulfadli said one of the premises was destroyed while the remaining two suffered minor damage.
He said the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage were under investigation.
Caption:
1. Firemen assisting an elderly woman who was trapped on the first floor of a burning shophouse in Maran today.