GEORGE TOWN: A man in his 50s suffered burns when his house on Jalan Perak here caught fire on Wednesday (Dec 29).

       A Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said the victim also suffered injuries to his head, hands and legs while escaping the fire that razed his house.

       “The victim also suffered loss of breath after inhaling smoke during his escape,” the spokesman said in a statement.

       The spokesman said the department received a distress call at about 4.20pm and a team from the Jalan Perak fire station was deployed to the scene.

       He said firefighters from Bayan Baru, Bagan Jermal and Lebuh Pantai also assisted the operation.

       He said 70% of the single-storey house was in flames and firefighters managed to contain the fire at about 4.47pm.

       “The victim was given early treatment at the scene before he was sent to Penang Hospital for further treatment,” he said, adding volunteer firefighters from nearby areas also assisted the operation.

       The cause of the fire is still being investigated.