Neighbours of the three family members who died in a house fire at Jalan Satria 7/5, Taman Titiwangsa, Kluang, last night were left devastated after their attempts to help save the victims failed.
One of the neighbours, Azlisam Md Taff, 57, said he and several others tried to put out the blaze using water hoses from their homes after being alerted to the fire at about 10.30pm.
“After we were told about the fire, several households used rubber hoses to spray water and help. But the flames were too intense. At the time, we did not realise there were victims upstairs.
“After we found out, one neighbour climbed onto the roof at the front of the house and tried to open a window, but could not because it was already too hot.
“We could also hear screams at the time, but we failed to help. We are very sad and regretful because we were very close to the family. We have lived alongside each other for more than 20 years,” he told reporters at the scene today.
Another neighbour, Jaafar Hussain, 57, said he had also been very close to the family and regarded them as siblings.
“We were close like brothers and sisters. I often helped the family with cooking whenever they received catering orders.
“The teenage victim who died was also the same age as my child, so I regarded him as my own child. That is why I feel deeply saddened and regretful over what happened,” said the retiree.
Earlier, Kluang Fire and Rescue Station Operations Commander, Senior Fire Officer I Jusoh Mohd Salleh, said the department received an emergency call about the fire at 10.44pm.
“Upon arriving at the scene, we found that a two-storey terrace house had suffered about 50 per cent damage in the fire.
“Our personnel also found three victims trapped inside the house. Health officers at the scene confirmed that all three had died, believed to have suffered smoke inhalation,” he said.
