(Updated 4:59pm, 28 Jan 2009)
ALOR SETAR, 28 Jan 2009: An early morning fire razed the double-storey house of former Derga state assemblyperson Cheung Khai Yan and his family in Taman Anggerik, Lencong Barat here today.
However, all seven family members, including Cheung, who sustained injuries to his right hand, managed to escape via the back door of the blazing house.
Cheung, 53, said the fire started at about 6am when he and his family were sleeping inside the house.
He said that there were seven family members in the house including his wife Chin Mee Kuan, 49, his daughter-in law and her two-year-old son.
According to Cheung, his wife noticed the fire at the living area of the double storey semi-detached house when she went down for a drink, five minutes after six.
“When she saw the fire, she ran upstairs and woke me and my children. We ran downstairs and escaped through the backdoor,” he said when met by reporters, today.
Cheung said that he and his two sons tried to put out the fire by using a water hose connected to a faucet located next to the front gate.
“We broke the sliding door glass to get closer to the fire while several neighbours who heard me screaming for help came with fire extinguishers and helped control the fire from spreading to nearby houses,” he said.
According to Jalan Raja Fire and Rescue Department chief Mustaffa Abdullah, based on a distress called received, the incident happened at 7.11am and 10 fire fighters and a fire engine from the Jalan Raja station were dispatched to the scene.
He added that with assistance from another team from the Jalan Tun Razak station and volunteer fire fighters, the blaze was brought under control within 10 minutes.
The cause of the fire was being investigated, he said. — Bernama
