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A FATHER recounted the harrowing moments of trying to rescue his six-year-old son from a blazing house in Taman Baiduri, Banting, as the boy was found dead in his room, while the mother and other family members survived.
A father’s heartache turned to tragedy early this morning when his six-year-old son was found dead after a fire engulfed their home in Taman Baiduri, Banting.
Mohd Iszwan Osman, 37, said he tried desperately to save his son, Mohamad Achmad Mohamad Iszwan, but was unable to reach him in time.
“I tried my utmost to rescue my child by climbing at the back of the house near his room. I heard him call me ‘daddy,’ and then there was nothing,” he said, his voice heavy with sorrow and disappointment, as he spoke outside the Forensic Medicine Department at Banting Hospital today.
The boy’s charred body was discovered in a room on the upper floor of the house at 6.09 a.m.
Mohd Iszwan recalled that his son had been playful the previous night before bedtime and had woken early in the morning asking for cold water.
The child, the second of four siblings, was fluent in English and described as quiet by his father.
“Last night, before sleeping, Achmad joked with me. Sometimes we would speak like chickens and ducks because he always spoke in English while I spoke Malay.
“He also played tossing keys with me. He always slept beside me each night. Lately, he had lost his appetite, had been unwell, and had missed two days of school,” he said.
Mohd Iszwan, who runs a barber shop, said the house belonged to his in-laws and was shared with several siblings-in-law.
“Before the incident, my wife and I went out. As soon as my family contacted me, we rushed home and learned that Achmad and my niece were trapped,” he said.
Dayana Zainol Abidin, 35, the boy’s mother and a kindergarten teacher in Taman Kemuning, said she had slept beside her son the previous night before leaving with her husband around 3 a.m.
“My husband and I went to pick up our two other children at my parents-in-law’s house around 3.30 a.m. Before leaving, Achmad woke and asked for cold water.
Shortly after, we were informed by my sister that the house was on fire and that our children were in danger.
Achmad was very affectionate and fluent in English. He had just recovered from a fever and had missed school for two days but returned on Wednesday.
He was attending preschool at a nearby primary school,” she said after her son’s funeral at Kampung Permatang Pasir Islamic Cemetery around 3 p.m.
It was also reported that Dayana’s younger brother was injured in the fire and is believed to be receiving treatment in the red zone of Banting Hospital.
This devastating incident highlights the dangers of early morning house fires and the profound impact on families in their wake. - February 15, 2025