Sarikei fire and rescue station chief Arrahman Chik said the body of Teng King Kai, 97, was found in the bedroom at 2.18am and then handed over to the police for further action, Bernama reported.

He said the station received an emergency call about the fire at 12.33am and firemen were deployed to the location, about 5km away.

The house was occupied by six people, but only five were inside at the time of the incident.

Arrahman said the man who died was the house owner. The survivors were the 72-year-old son of the victim, two women aged 49 and 51, and a 12-year-old girl.

The fire also destroyed a storage shed and two vehicles, a Perodua Aruz and a Toyota Unser.

Firemen were hampered by low water pressure and poor lighting.