REMBAU: A hostel for male students at Sekolah Tinggi Islam As Sofa in Chengkau near here was destroyed in a fire.

Eighty-five students were fast asleep in the single-storey structure when fire broke out around 1.50am Sunday.

A team from the Rembau Fire and Rescue Department rushed to the religious school upon receiving a distress call at 1.58am.

Department chief Mohd Fuad Majid said his men arrived at the school at 2.14am, and managed to put out the blaze 15 minutes later.

"We were told that the students were asleep when the fire broke out. However, they managed to escape before the fire spread," he said.

Firemen from the Seremban and Senawang stations had also helped out in the operation.

The cause of the blaze is being investigated.

On Sept 28 last year, a hostel housing 37 female students of the same school was also destroyed in an early morning fire.

The single-storey hostel located at Kampung Nerasau-Chenong housed students from Form 1 to Form 5.