A SINGLE 10sen coin lay among the ashes – a quiet reminder of how little remained after a fire wiped out a home where RM20,000 had been set aside for a family kenduri.
For hawker Mazakin Abdul Rahim, 54, the loss was total – his home, belongings and the savings he had put aside for the event, all gone within minutes.
He had been asleep with his wife when flames tore through his house in Kampung Din Manbo, Batu Ferringhi, Penang, at about 11am on March 27, destroying five homes and damaging six others.
“I ran out wearing only my boxers,” he said.
“There was no time to take anything. Everything was gone.”
Mazakin’s household of six escaped but not without moments of terror. At one point, he feared his 26-year-old son had died in the blaze.
“I thought he was still inside. I thought he was gone,” he said.
The relief came only later, after finding out that his son had already left for work.
No fatalities were reported.
Strong winds fanned the flames, sending the fire rapidly through the tightly packed wooden homes.
Mazakin said firefighters arrived in less than 10 minutes.
“If they hadn’t come so quickly, more houses would have been damaged,” he said.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined as investigations are ongoing.
But by the time he returned at 11pm, about 12 hours after the fire, there was nothing left.
“Just ashes,” he said quietly.
Beside him, his wife Rosmawati Zul, 47, struggled to come to terms with what was lost – not just a house, but three decades of memories.
“All our memories from 30 years of marriage are gone,” she said.
“I was always at home. Everything we built together was there.”
Among the items lost were family photographs and her collection of old currency.
Their 22-year-old daughter’s wedding, planned for May, has now been postponed.
Despite being given temporary shelter at a nearby hotel, Rosmawati said her mind remained fixed on what used to be.
“The hotel is comfortable, but my thoughts are always here,” she said.
At night, the trauma lingers. “When I sleep, I can still feel the wind from that day,” she added, referring to the strong gusts that fuelled the blaze.
On April 1, efforts to clear the debris began, organised by the Batu Ferringhi Village Community Management Council (MPKK) with assistance from the Penang Island City Council (MBPP), the Sewerage Services Department (JPP), and volunteers from nearby hotels.
Among them were teams from Shangri-La Rasa Sayang and Shangri-La Golden Sands, who had also been among the first responders when the fire broke out.
The hotel’s communications director Datuk Suleiman Tunku Abdul Rahman, said the cleanup brought together emergency response teams, staff and community members.
“We worked hand in hand to salvage what we could and clear the area,” he said.
Volunteers removed two truckloads of debris over a four-hour period.
The hotel also provided breakfast and snacks for the volunteers.
Suleiman said the effort reflected the spirit of gotong- royong and the hotel’s commitment to supporting the surrounding community.
“We will continue to stay in close contact with the affected residents and support them through this recovery period,” he said.
