A man tragically lost his mother and two siblings in a devastating fire that engulfed a two-story shophouse on Jalan Balik Pulau today. The man, who identified himself as Rashid, 30, revealed that the blaze claimed the lives of his mother, Nurul Bowjiya, 58, his brother Muhamad Ibrahim, 33, and his sister Rahbiah Jasmin, 20.
Rashid expressed his profound trauma and shock over the loss of his family members, leaving him an orphan and homeless. He recounted the incident, stating that it unfolded rapidly while he and his siblings were asleep on the top floor of the shophouse, with his mother on the ground floor.
"My mother noticed smoke at the front of the house and shouted several times to alert us," Rashid explained. "My brother and I rushed downstairs to escape, but my mother tried to fetch water to extinguish the fire. She then realized my younger sister was still upstairs and went back up, followed by my brother. By that time, I had already made it outside."
Despite his efforts to rescue his family, Rashid said he was thwarted by the fast-spreading flames and thick smoke. He attempted three times to re-enter the house but was forced back each time. "I prayed they would be found safely, but when I learned they had perished, I was speechless and devastated, as I am now the only surviving member of my family."
Rashid lamented that his family might have survived had they used the back door instead of the front, where the fire was most intense. Fighting back tears, he shared how deeply the loss affected him, highlighting the legacy of the shophouse, which had been in his family for over 20 years. The shop sold home appliances like mats and carpets, and was a gift from his grandfather.
Reflecting on his uncertain future, Rashid said, "I’m still stuck thinking about what lies ahead. I don’t know what to do. Everything happened so fast. I’m now homeless, with only a bag containing my family’s identification cards, which the fire department retrieved and handed to me."
The fire, which broke out around 7 am, resulted in the tragic deaths of a mother and her two children, leaving Rashid as the sole survivor. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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