A fire destroyed about 65% of the upper floor of a boys’ hostel at Sekolah Menengah Agama Tarbiah Diniah in Jalan Pegawai, Kulim, early Tuesday morning.
All 101 male students staying at the hostel managed to escape safely, with no injuries reported.
Kulim Fire and Rescue Station operations commander Assistant Fire Superintendent Abdul Mois Ahmad Mansur said the department received an emergency call at 2.47am.
Firefighters from the Kulim and Kulim Hi-Tech Fire and Rescue Stations were immediately dispatched to the scene, with assistance from the Lunas and Kulim Volunteer Fire Brigades.
Upon arrival, firefighters found the blaze had engulfed the upper floor of the two-storey hostel building.
Abdul Mois said the fire destroyed approximately 65% of the upper floor, but all students had successfully evacuated before rescue teams arrived.
Firefighters used water supplied from the volunteer fire brigade’s water tank to extinguish the flames.
The fire was brought under control at 3.09am, after which overhaul operations were carried out to eliminate any remaining hotspots and prevent the fire from reigniting.
The cause of the fire and the extent of the losses are still under investigation.
The affected students are understood to be from Forms Two, Three, Four and Six.
