KUALA LUMPUR, May 1 — Three houses were destroyed by fire at Pintasan Raja Muda Musa 4, Kampung Baru this morning.
However, all 12 residents managed to escape during the incident.
Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department operations commander Senior Assistant Fire Chief Mohamad Riduan Akhyar said the Kuala Lumpur Operations Centre received a fire emergency call at 9.39am before the Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) sent a team to the scene.
"The fire brigade arrived at 9.50am and found the fire involved three semi-permanent houses measuring an estimated 40 x 70 square feet.
"The fire completely destroyed two residential units and three motorcycles while one house was 40 per cent razed," he said in a statement.
The fire was successfully brought under control at 10.13am and the JBPM Forensic Unit is still investigating the cause of the fire and the amount of damage.
One witness, Muhamad Uthman Hasni, 33, said he was going to a nearby stall when he saw a plume of smoke and flames blazing from the houses at 9.35am.
"I immediately came here and saw that the first house in the front was already on fire, and the fire was spreading to the second and third houses in the back.
"I called the police at the Dang Wangi district police station, and after the fire brigade arrived, I tried to help them put out the fire that was raging from spreading completely to the third house," he said at the scene of the incident.
Meanwhile, one of the victims, Azmil Nurmin, 24, said that at the time of the incident, he and his brother were sleeping in their respective rooms before being woken up by their parents about the fire.
According to the e-hailing driver, the fire destroyed about 40 per cent of his house.
"At that time, my mother and father were watering their plants outside before our neighbour, a tenant of the first house that was burned down, came to tell us about the fire.
"My parents kept waking us up, taking important documents while we took out the car and motorcycle. I am grateful that we are all safe, although some items could not be saved, but that is okay because lives are more important," he said.
Meanwhile, Titiwangsa MP cum Plantations and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani also visited the victims at the scene and gave donations.
Speaking to the press, he said they would try to help find temporary accommodation for all the victims who are tenants of the houses involved.
— Bernama
