VILLAGER HEARS EXPLOSION OUTSIDE HOUSE AS FIRE ENGULFS HOMES

KEPALA BATAS, Feb 22 (Bernama) -- A fire victim, whose house was destroyed along with three other homes in Kampung Permatang Krai Besar here early this morning, did not expect that the explosion she heard while warming up food for sahur was actually a fire.

Jamilah Ismail, 58, said she woke up at 4.40 am initially hearing a sound like something exploding outside her house but brushed it off as the sounds of people arguing.

"However, when I opened the door, I was shocked to see a large blaze destroying three houses next door. I immediately ran to wake my husband and children before calling the 999 emergency number.

"The fire spread quickly, and within 10 minutes, everything was destroyed and there was no time to do anything. We could only save ourselves and grab a bag containing a little money and our identification cards," she said when met by reporters at her home here today.

Jamilah, who lives in the house with her husband, son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren, said that the fire also destroyed all her sales equipment just three days after she started selling nasi ulam at the Ramadan bazaar in Bertam, along with her car. However, she is grateful that all her family members were safe in the incident.

She said that for the time being, her family is temporarily staying at a nearby religious school and hopes that housing assistance can be provided to enable them to resume their business, as it is their main source of income.

Meanwhile, another victim, Shahrul Nizam Omar, 42, said that at the time of the incident, he was at home with two of his children while his wife and another child were at their rented house located not far from there.

"The youngest child, who was sleeping in the front room, began to feel the heat before seeing the fire spreading. I tried to extinguish the fire using tap water but it didn't work because the water pressure here is low," he said, adding that his face was also scorched by the flames before he ran off to save himself

However, Shahrul Nizam said he failed to save the two cars used for business and accepted the misfortune that befell their family.

Earlier, Penang Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) Operations Division assistant director John Sagun Francis said his team received a call about the incident at 5.06 am.

He said the fire involved four houses occupied by 21 people, with damage estimated at around 80 per cent.

-- BERNAMA