A neighbour's yell saved 17 residents from fire

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The yelling of a neighbour had saved the lives of 17 residents from fire at a building in Kampung Pemuda Jaya, Jalan Seelong-Senai, here on Monday.
KULAI - The yelling of a neighbour had saved the lives of 17 residents from fire at a building in Kampung Pemuda Jaya, Jalan Seelong-Senai, here on Monday.

In the 4.30am incident, all 17 people from five families escaped the fire without any injuries.

One of the victims, Junita Mohamad, 25, said the shouting of the neighbour had woken them up from their sleep.

Junita who was renting a unit in the building with her family, immediately exited the building as the fire blanketed the building within 10 minutes.

"Aside from adults, two of the residents here were toddlers aged 12 months, and three children, were also victims of the fire.

"We are saddened that this happened at the beginning of the new year. As people in the low-income group, we are devastated by our bad luck as we have to build our lives now from scratch.

"Residents here worked at carwash shops; factory workers; and drivers who migrated to Johor several months ago," she said when contacted.

Meanwhile, the village head of Baru Sri Aman, Tukimin Aziz said the five families had migrated from Kelantan to Kampung Pemuda Jaya to make a living after failing to secure jobs and a good life in their former state after the Movement Control Order (MCO).

He explains that the fire took place at an old office building in the 1970s that had been vacant for a long time.

"Due to the fire, victims were left with nothing, they have lost their property and place of residence. They had been living in the building for the past three to seven months.

"At the moment, these victims will be placed at Surau Kampung Pemuda Jaya, and we are working on appropriate aid to be given to them," he said when contacted.

The incident was reported to the Bandar Baru Kulai Fire and Rescue Station (BBP) at 4.55am before 17 members rushed to the scene.

The Bandar Baru Kulai Fire and Rescue Department's assistant chief Muhamad Fauzi Awang said they were assisted by a fire rescue tender (FRT), a fire response vehicle (FRV), a tanker, and an emergency medical rescue service (EMRS).

"The building was a semi-permanent structure used as residential apartments by several families. It was 80 per cent burned.

"No casualties were reported; all the victims managed to save themselves.The operation ended at 6.27am.

"The cause of the fire and the estimated loss are still under investigation," he said in a statement on Monday.