KUCHING: Swift response by residents at Taman Malihah flat complex prevented a fire, which broke out at a ground-floor unit, from spreading and causing more destruction yesterday.
ARE YOU ALRIGHT?: A fireman checks on the condition of Molly and her daughter following the fire incident.
The incident happened around 10am when housewife Molly Dindot, 41, was alerted by her three-year-old daughter’s cries that a fire had broken out.
At the time, the two of them were the only ones at home as Molly’s husband, a security guard, was out while her three elder children were visiting a relative.
According to Molly, her youngest child told her she had been playing with matches and had accidentally set fire to a sofa in the living room.
She initially tried to douse the flames herself but, having failed to put out the fire, tried to drag the sofa out of her unit.
However, it proved too heavy to budge and the fire soon spread to other pieces of furniture, which led to the unit being filled with smoke.
Worried for her child’s safety, Molly grabbed her daughter and dashed outside while shouting to her neighbours for help.
Fearing the fire might spread, flat residents immediately converged at Molly’s unit and, armed with buckets of water, doused the fire in a matter of minutes.
Firefighters arrived at the scene after receiving a distress call, and inspected the razed unit to ensure the situation was safe.
Molly’s husband, who rushed back after being informed of what had happened, said even though most of the family’s belongings were destroyed, he was relieved that his wife and daughter were alright.
Total loss in the incident has yet to be ascertained.