RAUB FIRE: MOHD ALWI REMEMBERED AS CHEERFUL AND GENEROUS

RAUB, Feb 26 (Bernama) --  “I thought it wasn’t a serious fire, but when I got there, I was told everyone was gone,” said the younger brother of 56-year-old Mohd Alawi Muhammad, who died along with four other family members in the tragedy at Kampung Pamah Kulat here early this morning.

Muhammad Yusri Zulhairi Mat Dani, 27, said he received a call from his sister-in-law around 4.30 am informing him that his brother’s house was on fire, prompting him to rush immediately to the scene.

He said the last time he met Mohd Alawi was three days ago at a Ramadan bazaar, where his brother was running a stall with his wife, Zaleha Adam @ Ibrahim, 44.

“He was a cheerful and friendly person. He even treated strangers like they’d known him forever,” he told reporters today.

The fire, which broke out at 4.15am this morning, claimed the lives of the couple and their three children Ruby Adira Batrisya, 17; Ruby Adlina Banin, 14; and Ruby Azyan Barizah, 10.

Muhammad Yusri Zulhairi said that despite their deep grief, his family had accepted it as God’s will.

“We were so shocked and heartbroken. But we felt some comfort knowing he left us during the fasting month, a blessed month,” he said.

He described Mohd Alawi, the eldest of six siblings, as the backbone of the family, known for his generosity and always willing to help those in need.

“Whenever our mother needed something, he would be the first to step in. He did so much for the family, not just at home but also for my older siblings.

“Every time I visited him at his stall, he would always give me something. Sometimes we felt shy because he was just too generous,” he said.

Meanwhile, Pahang Communications and Multimedia, Youth, Sports and Non-Governmental Organisation Committee chairman Fadzli Mohamad Kamal said he arrived at the scene at about 7.30 am and was told the house was almost completely destroyed in the fire.

The Dong assemblyman also spent time with Mohd Alawi’s two surviving children, Ruby Adalia Balqis, 19, and Ahmad Balia Murqam, 15, at the scene and at the hospital, offering words of comfort and strength.

“I had just met Mohd Alwi on the first day of Ramadan. He was a very friendly person, always the first to come over and greet us whenever he saw us. I feel very saddened by his passing,” he said when met by Bernama at the Raub Hospital forensic unit.

--BERNAMA