All of the family’s belongings were destroyed in the fire at Taman Tanah Emas yesterday morning.
KOTA KINABALU: Five persons escaped unhurt after a fire destroyed a house at Taman Tanah Emas, Lido here yesterday morning.
Mohd Rajjamil Ismael, 33, said his younger brother, cousin and two of his friends were sound asleep in the semi-detached double storey house when the fire broke out.
They said that they heard a ‘popping’ sound from above the ceiling on the upper floor, followed by thick smoke streaming down.
One of Rajjamil’s friends found out that the house was on fire when he went to the toilet.
“He opened the toilet door and saw black smoke everywhere, and felt the heat as well,” Rajjamil related.
As the living room was on fire, Rajjamil, his cousin and his friends had no choice but to escape through the bedroom window.
Meanwhile, his younger brother, who was sleeping upstairs, also climbed out through the window onto the roof to escape the fire.
“It was most fortunate that our windows were the sliding type. If not, we would not be able to escape,” he said.
Rajjamil’s family, including his parents and younger brother, had lived at the house for 32 years.
All the family’s valuables were destroyed. The fire also spread to the rooms on the first floor of the house next to Rajjamil’s.
The Ho family were out selling handicraft at the Sunday market at Gaya Street when the incident happened.
The eldest child of the family, Jonathan Ho, 22, and his sister, rushed back home when neighbours called to inform them about the fire. Luckily, only the rooms on the upper floor were affected, Jonathan said, adding that the fire had not spread to the living room.
There are nine family members living at the house, including the parents and seven children, aged between five to 22. Ho’s house has reportedly been on fire twice before the incident yesterday.
The Fire and Rescue Service Department reported that a distress call was received at 8.36am and fire trucks arrived at the scene at 8.44 am. The fire was brought under control by 9am and the operation ended about half an hour later.