BAGAN DATUK: A victim of the Hutan Melintang fire near here early Saturday (June 28) morning recalled that the blaze spread quickly, preventing them from saving their belongings.
The speed of the 4.30 am fire was such that it ripped through 23 premises at Bagan Pasir Laut, including 19 houses, one non-Muslim house of worship, two eateries, and a sundry shop.
"The fire spread too fast, and we didn’t have time to save any valuable belongings,” said Chan Huan Peng.
The 56-year-old said most of the residents involved were asleep at the time of the incident, and some homeowners were away on holiday.
Chan said his brother-in-law woke him after he smelled smoke and was told that their neighbour’s house was on fire.
"When I looked out the window, I saw the house behind ours was already burning. The fire spread quite fast. My brother-in-law and I managed to splash water on the rear of our home.
"Then I helped douse water on the wall of another neighbour’s house, as the family was away in Kuala Lumpur at the time. The situation was chaotic until the fire department arrived,” he told Bernama on Saturday.
Chan said that although the blaze destroyed many homes, he was relieved that there were no casualties.
Another victim, Chan Huan Han, 40, said he was sleeping with his wife and child when he received a phone call from his mother in Melaka informing him of the fire.
"I woke my wife so we could get our child out of the house. When we stepped outside, people were trying to stop the fire from spreading further.
"The flames spread so quickly that we panicked and didn’t have time to do anything except save ourselves and wait for the firefighters to arrive,” he said.
He added that after ensuring his family’s safety, he joined other residents in assisting the fire department to put out the fire.- Bernama
