Senior citizen allegedly sets fire to rented house after eviction order

JOHOR BAHRU: A senior citizen is believed to have set his rented house on fire after being dissatisfied when told to vacate the premises by the landlord at Jalan Maju 3, Taman Pelangi here early this morning.

Larkin Fire Rescue and Department deputy chief Mohd Suhaimi Abdul Jamal said five fire-engines from two stations, with 28 firemen, rushed to the scene after receiving a distress call at 12.10 am.

"The fire is believed to have started in the living room of the house and, based on information from neighbours, the man, in his 60s, is alleged to have set fire to his rented house before fleeing.

"When firemen arrived at the scene, we found two single-storey houses on fire. The house where the fire started was about 80 per cent destroyed while the other was about 10 per cent damaged,” he said when contacted by Bernama today.

He said firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control and no casualties were reported.

Mohd Suhaimi said firemen, however, had to rush back to the scene after receiving information that the senior citizen had returned to the house and allegedly tried to burn it down again.

"We managed to arrest the individual and handed him over to the Taman Pelangi police station,” he said.

According to a neighbour, the suspect, whose wife and children reside in Singapore, is believed to be suffering from mental problems and was asked to vacate the house by today (April 30).

Meanwhile, Johor Bahru Selatan District Police chief ACP Mohd Padzli Mohd Zain, when contacted, confirmed the incident and that police are carrying out further investigations.

-- BERNAMA