KINABATANGAN: Just a day before the start of Ramadan, six families in Kampung Pangkalan Bukit Garam were left with nothing after a late-night fire destroyed their homes.
The blaze, which broke out around 10pm on Tuesday (Feb 17), swept quickly through a row of non-permanent houses, completely razing six homes and partially damaging another.
For housewife Sitti Dahi Hambali, the fire took everything except her family’s lives.
"Our house was completely burnt. Nothing was saved. Only the family survived. Alhamdulillah we are safe," she said, adding that she now hopes for assistance as they no longer have a place to stay.
Another victim, wedding decorator Sarman Sulaiman, said he narrowly escaped after noticing flames inside his bathroom.
"I heard noise and when I came out, there was a fire in the bathroom. I was coughing because of the smoke and tried to find a way out before jumping from the back of the house," he said when met here on Wednesday (Feb 18).
Sarman added that all his business equipment was destroyed in the fire, leaving him with nothing to restart his livelihood.
The Fire and Rescue Department received an emergency call at 10.08pm, with firefighters from the Kinabatangan station arriving about 13 minutes later.
A total of 17 personnel, assisted by several other agencies, battled the blaze, which also destroyed a Toyota Hilux.
The fire was brought under control at about 11.20pm, with operations ending in the early hours of the morning.
Firefighters managed to save 10 nearby houses from being affected, although one firefighter was injured during the operation.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire and the total losses involved.
