TNB meter reader saved family from burning house

Honoured: Mohd Ridzuan showing the certificate the Johor Fire and Rescue Department gave to him for his heroic act.

JOHOR BARU: A usual working day turned dramatic for Tenaga Na­­sional Bhd worker Mohd Ridzuan Azam when he saved a family of seven from a burning house.

The 26-year-old meter reader-turned-hero expected his routine of going from one house to another in Skudai on Dec 17 to be just another day.

“When I reached a double storey house along Jalan Kasturi 17, I saw black smoke coming out from another nearby house.

“I was shouting loudly at their front gate and honking my car but nobody inside the house responded to my call until an elderly woman opened the door,” he said.

Mohd Ridzuan said the woman was not aware that her house was on fire and panicked when she rea­lised what was happening.

She said her grandchildren were sleeping on the second floor.

“I did not have much time to think and ran straight into the burning house and banged on the doors to wake them up,” he said, adding that the teenagers then followed him to safety.

He said that during the time of incident, there were seven people living in the house.

Mohd Ridzuan said he tried to put out the fire by pouring pails of water before the Fire and Rescue Department arrived at the scene minutes later.

For his heroic act, Mohd Ridzuan received a certificate from Johor Fire and Rescue Department at its annual parade yesterday.

“I do not look at it as a heroic act but rather a responsibility that everyone should have in them, especially when it is about someone’s life.

“We need to be brave when we know we are doing the right thing and should be compassionate with the people around us, even if they are strangers,” he said, adding that he was glad that everyone was safe.