
Fire and rescue department Sibu zone head Andy Alie said the body of the victim, identified as Ngu Hieng Sie, 58, was found face-up in the drain.
He said the department received a call about the fire at 7.50pm and a team from the Sungai Merah fire and rescue station rushed to the scene.
“The team found the man in the water-filled drain near the location of the fire. He is believed to have been electrocuted because when a check was conducted, there was still electric flow there,” he said in a statement today.
He said the body was handed over to the police for further action.
He also said that an occupant of the house had managed to flee before the fire spread.