A grandfather was left devastated after learning that his three grandchildren were still inside a house when a massive fire broke out at Kampung Lok Buta, Numbak, early today (30 Aug).
M Nasir Jalani, 68, said he was alerted to the blaze after waking up to the screams of one of his children, who told him that a neighbour’s house was on fire.
He immediately fled the house after realising the flames could not be contained. However, he returned moments later in an attempt to find the children, only to discover that they were no longer visible.
“Upon learning that my house could not be saved, I ran out. I ran back into the house, but the children were not there.
“If I had known they were in the room, perhaps I could have saved them,” he said when met at the scene.
The family only realised the children were missing after reaching a safer location, turning what had initially been an attempt to escape the fire into a heartbreaking search for the three young victims.
The children were identified as four-year-old Nana Abdullah, her six-year-old brother Mohd Asrul Abdullah and their eight-year-old cousin Nurfarahdilah Mohd Tajihah.
The grandfather said he had invited the three children to stay at his home several days earlier to join the family in celebrating the wedding of one of his children.
He said he never imagined the family gathering would end in tragedy.
More than 200 houses were destroyed in the early morning blaze, while the three children, including the two siblings, lost their lives.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud, who is also the Sepanggar Member of Parliament, was also at the scene.
Meanwhile, another resident, Roslani Ladin, 65, described how he made several trips by boat to evacuate more than 10 members of his family to the home of a relative nearby.
Roslani, a fisherman, said the fire had not yet reached his house when he began moving his family to safety, allowing him to use his boat before the flames eventually engulfed his own home.
“We have lived here for over 20 years. There had been fires before, but not here.
“This is the first time it has happened in Kampung Lok Buta,” he said.
Roslani is now temporarily staying at one of his children’s homes as residents affected by the blaze begin dealing with the devastating aftermath.
