Thick smoke prevents grand uncle from saving two siblings
03 Sep 2022 10:47pm
Photo from Fire and Rescue Department
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Ismail Saad, 55, who was the first witness to the incident initially sensed smoke in the air before seeing it emanating from the victim's house which was just next to his.
He said he had been renting there for the past two years while the victim's family had been renting for the past four months.
"When I saw the plume of smoke, it was total chaos at that time. I ran into the house and my legs were burnt a bit but the smoke was thick and it was dark (inside the house).
"So I ran out, turned on the tap and broke the window glass to spray water from outside because the fire was raging as there were mattresses and sheets," he said when met at the scene here today.
He said that at the time of the incident, the victim’s mother Nurul Ain Najihah who is in her 20s was at Ismail's home while the victim's father Muhammad Fikri also in his 20s was working.
Ismail said he last saw the two siblings this morning and they had looked cheerful as usual.
It is understood that the victim's mother also suffered leg injuries while trying to save her children but refused to be interviewed as her husband helped her to a nearby clinic for treatment.
Muhammad Fikri learned about the incident after receiving a phone call from his wife.
Meanwhile, Johor Bahru South District deputy police chief Supt Lim Jit Huey confirmed that at the time of the incident the siblings were alone at home.
"So far (the cause of) the fire is still under investigation and whether the children were sleeping when the incident occurred," he said.
He said the bodies of the two siblings had been taken to Sultanah Aminah Hospital for further action and the case was classified as sudden death.
Earlier, the charred remains of three-year old Muhammad Zafran Muhammad Fikri and his two-year old sister Nurul Hawa Zafira were found in a bedroom in the incident which occurred at 1.40 pm. - Bernama
