PENANG POLICE CONDUCTING DETAILED INVESTIGATION INTO DEADLY FIRE IN TAMAN RATHNA

BUTTERWORTH, Dec 17 (Bernama) -- Police are conducting a detailed investigation into a fire that claimed the lives of a woman and her adopted daughter in Taman Rathna, Telok Air Tawar, here on the morning of Dec 10.

Penang Police chief Datuk Azizee Ismail said authorities are also waiting for the right time to record the statement of the woman’s son to assist in the probe.

“Police are conducting a thorough investigation to determine whether the fire was linked to criminal or malicious intent, or otherwise. Currently, we are also waiting for an appropriate time to record the statement of the surviving victim, as he is still receiving treatment at Seberang Jaya Hospital (HSJ),” he told Bernama tonight.

Police had earlier classified the deaths of the woman and her adopted daughter in the fire as sudden death (SDR) pending post-mortem and fire forensic reports.

North Seberang Perai District Police chief ACP Anuar Abdul Rahman said the Fire Forensics team had collected several samples at the scene for analysis, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Fire and Rescue Department.

Forensic teams from the Penang Contingent Police Headquarters also conducted an investigation at the scene. Information from the public and nearby closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showed smoke and flames spreading rapidly, engulfing part of the house structure.

In the incident, Hayani Yaakob, in her 50s, and her adopted daughter, Andra, aged five, were burnt alive after being trapped inside the house, while Hayani’s son, Daniel Quyum Kamarozlan, in his 20s, was injured by a collapsing roof structure.

Media reports said firefighters received the emergency call at 9.41 am, and the bodies of the two victims were found in the living room near the main door, while Daniel Quyum was found near the kitchen and taken to HSJ for further treatment.

-- BERNAMA