THE cause of the fire at Wisma Bapa Malaysia in Kuching on Thursday that damaged the Sarawak government server room has yet to be established, said state Deputy Premier Douglas Uggah Embas. 

He said he could not comment further on the fire, which disrupted the state government’s online system and services over the weekend. 

“I cannot comment because it is still under investigation,” he told reporters after launching a fire safety campaign in conjunction with the Gawai celebration at the state Fire and Rescue Department headquarters in Kuching today. 

According to him, the state government has always emphasised fire safety, especially in government buildings, and will discuss with the Fire and Rescue Department measures to reduce fire risks.

“It is very important to make sure that fire risks are reduced,” he said. 

On the fire safety campaign initiated by the department, Uggah said it is part of efforts to raise awareness on the community’s role in preventing and fighting fires.

He said one of them is the Community Emergency Response Team, which has trained residents in over 3,000 villages in Sarawak on their roles during fires and other disasters since its establishment in 2015. 

“It is important to know that while the department has its own programmes, the people themselves must be empowered so that they could be involved in managing these disasters,” he said.

Asked about the safety of longhouses, he said the state government will continue to engage with the department to identify the best approach to prevent wide-scale fires that normally affect such buildings. – Bernama, May 30, 2022.