A seven-year-old girl has perished after a fire broke out during the late hours into the night yesterday (Apr 9).
Malaysia Gazette reported that the incident took place at Kampung Pisang, Air Itam in Penang.
Two houses destroyed by fire
Deputy Director of the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) Penang TS Zulfahmi Sutaji told Harian Metro that a distress call was made at 11.19pm regarding the fire.
A team of 19 firefighters from the Paya Terubong and Jalan Perak fire stations immediately rushed to the scene, where they found two houses completely engulfed by the flames, where one was 80% burnt while the other was 50%.
“We received initial information that a child was trapped inside the house and we brought the fire under control at 12.45am.
“However, the firefighters faced difficulties as there was no access point for the machinery to enter, where they eventually had to use a hose 150m from from the main road to the fire’s location,” he said.
Victim most likely trapped inside bedroom
The victim, identified as G. Sri Laavanya, was later found in a completely charred state around 8m away from the main door of the house.
Zulfahmi added that the victim was most likely trapped in the bedroom when the fire broke out as there was a mattress near her body.
We believe that she was in a state of panic and tried to escape by running to the bathroom or to a nearby exit. However, investigations are still underway to identify the cause of the fire,” he said.
Another person, a 50-year-old woman who’s the victim’s grandmother, was injured by the fire and suffered burns to her hand.
She was sent to the Penang Hospital for treatment while the victim’s body was handed over to police before it was then sent for an autopsy.
Our condolences to the family for their loss. RIP.
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