A 12-year-old boy was found burnt to death after a fire engulfed about 30 houses at Kampung Sentosa Blok 4, Hilltop, Jalan Utara, Tawau, on Wednesday morning.
The victim, identified as Jackson Zack, was discovered by firefighters inside a room, according to Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) Tawau Zone chief Moiley Milin.
He said the department received an emergency call at 6.44am, with a team of 47 firefighters arriving at the scene three minutes later, at 6.47am.
Upon arrival, six houses were already on fire.
Moiley said firefighters faced several challenges while battling the blaze, including the absence of fire hydrants, narrow access roads and houses built very close to one another.
He also urged residents to prioritise fire safety and recommended that every household keep a fire extinguisher as an initial measure to tackle fires.
Meanwhile, one of the fire victims, Bakri Syarifuddin, said he was sending his child to school when he received a call from his younger sibling warning that their house might also be on fire.
He immediately rushed home and found the house engulfed in flames.
“The situation was chaotic because it was early in the morning. Neighbours were also rushing to save themselves and their belongings.
“My wife had just returned home after attending to a death in her family. We managed to save only our personal documents, while everything else was destroyed,” he said.
Bakri, who is in his 40s, broke down in tears as he revealed that Jackson was his wife’s nephew.
He said the family was devastated by the loss of the boy, who was autistic.
