MIRI: The Year of the Dog made a fierce entry with three fires reported around the region.
Three triple-storey shoplots in Lawas town in northern Sarawak went up in flames at about 10pm on Saturday night.
In Bintangor town in central Sarawak, a block with four triple-storeys shops was also destroyed in a blaze at about 3am Sunday morning.
Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department said the fire stations in the respective towns were alerted to the blaze by the public.
Though the firemen could not save the buildings, they managed to ensure the fire did not spread to adjacent blocks.
The department was still probing the cause of the two fires where there were no casualties reported.
In another incident, a 4WD burst into flames at the Batu Kitang bridge in southern Sarawak.
The 10pm incident on Feb 16 saw the driver managing to escape in the nick of time before the engine of his vehicle exploded.
The department said firefighters from the Batu Lintang station rushed to the scene after being alerted about the incident.
In a separate case, a 64-year-old man is missing in Sungai Baleh in interior Kapit Division in central Sarawak.
Reba Awing is believed to have fallen into the river when he went to cast his fishing nets at about 9.30am on Sunday morning.
Kapit fire station said it had initiated a search and rescue mission.
Rescue boats have been deployed to comb the river and its banks for the senior citizen.