Families left homeless

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SEVEN families were made homeless after a fire broke out at about 4.30pm on Wednesday in Serdang Jaya, Serdang.

Three houses in Lorong 2/1A were destroyed while four others were partly damaged. However, no one was hurt in the incident.

Dousing the flames: Firemen aiming their hoses at one of the houses. They managed to put out the fire within 40 minutes.

The fire is suspected to have been caused by a short circuit.

According to the victims, it was the first time that a fire had broken out in the 30-year-old houses.

The fire brigade arrived within 10 minutes after it was alerted and the blaze was put out within 40 minutes.

One of the victims, Fong Kit Onn, whose house was the first to catch fire, was sleeping on the first floor when he was awakened by his mother’s screams and found his house filled with smoke.

“The smoke was so thick, I couldn’t see anything. We just ran out of the house,” he said.

He added that they did not manage to save any of their important documents as their only thought then was to escape. His house was not insured.

Another victim, Wong Ah Keow, a 57-year-old hawker, was having tea at a nearby shop when the fire started.

“My neighbours quickly notified me. Luckily, it did not happen in the middle of the night, and thankfully, my 88-year-old mother got out in time.

“The top floor of my house is destroyed and the water tank is now leaking. We’ll be staying at a relative’s house for the time being,” she said.

Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) president Datuk Adnan Md Ikshan, who arrived at 7.30pm to check on the situation, distributed some money to the victims.

The three families who were badly affected were given RM500 while the other four received RM300.

“I was celebrating Hari Raya in Gombak when I received a call from one of the councillors notifying me of the fire.

“I’m thankful that the fire brigade and NGOs acted in time and that the neighbours helped each other,” he said.

He added that the victims could opt to stay in homes provided for disaster victims in Kinrara.

“We also have a fire squad on stand­by round the clock at the MPSJ headquarters to help the fire brigade,” he said.