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In a tragic incident today, a man lost his mother and two siblings in a devastating fire that engulfed a two-storey shophouse on Jalan Balik Pulau. The man, known as Rashid, 30, is grappling with the profound loss of his mother, Nurul Bowjiya, 58, his brother Muhamad Ibrahim, 33, and his sister Rahbiah Jasmin, 20.
Rashid is left traumatized and in shock, now an orphan and homeless. Recounting the incident, Rashid explained that the fire broke out swiftly while his siblings were asleep on the top floor and his mother was downstairs.
"My mother noticed smoke at the front of the house and shouted 'smoke' several times. My brother and I rushed downstairs to save ourselves, but my mother went to get water to put out the fire. She then realized my younger sister was still upstairs and went back up, followed by my brother. By that time, I was already outside the shop," Rashid told reporters at the Balik Pulau Hospital Forensic Unit.
Rashid made three desperate attempts to re-enter the house to save his family, but the fire spread rapidly, and the thick smoke thwarted his efforts. He hoped for their safety but was devastated when he learned they had perished in the blaze.
"They tried to escape through the front door where the fire was raging. If they had used the back door, they might have survived," Rashid said, struggling to hold back tears.
The shophouse, a legacy from Rashid's grandfather, had been a family business for over 20 years, selling home appliances such as mats and carpets. Rashid is now uncertain about his future, left homeless and only with a bag containing his family's identification cards, which the fire department recovered and handed over to him.
The fire, which started around 7 a.m., claimed the lives of Rashid's mother and siblings, leaving only Rashid as the sole survivor. This tragic event has left him grappling with the enormity of his loss and the daunting uncertainty of his future.
"I don’t know what to do next," Rashid said, "Everything happened in the blink of an eye. I’m left with nothing but memories and the few belongings that survived the fire."
Evon Anak Jerim is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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