Mother, Son Suffer Burns In Besut House Fire

JERTIH, April 4 (Bernama) -- A mother and her son suffered burns to almost half of their bodies while trying to escape an early morning fire at their home in Kampung Oh here.

Jertih Fire and Rescue Station chief Mustafa Ismail said both victims, identified as Fauziah Ali, 75, and her son Azli Abu, 45, were sent by members of the public to the Besut Hospital for treatment.

"Our team received a call at 5.14 am, following which a fire engine along with eight personnel were dispatched to the location.

"Upon arriving at the scene, it was found that the fire involved a semi-permanent house, occupied by two family members, which was 80 per cent destroyed," he said in a statement today.

Mustafa said both victims were confirmed to have suffered 45 per cent burn injuries by the medical authorities.

He said the cause of the fire and the estimated losses are still under investigation, and the extinguishing operation was fully completed by 7.28 am.

Meanwhile, the victims' neighbour, Mohd Rafain Ruzlan, 30, said he heard Azli calling for help around 5 am.

"I happened to be awake at that time and was outside the house, so I rushed over and had to kick the main door open since both victims took time to open the door.

"When I entered, the fire, which was believed to have started from inside a room, had burned the mattress and was spreading. Azli was trying to extinguish the fire.

"I asked the victims to get out to save themselves, but I had to carry Fauziah out of the house. However, both of them were injured, with Azli crawling out of the house to save himself," he said when met at the scene.

-- BERNAMA