Elderly couple, grandson escape fiery end as neighbour's houses catch fire

An elderly couple and their five-month-old grandson escaped a fiery end when two houses below their unit at the Sri Sarawak flats here engulfed in flames today.

The Royal Malaysian Navy retiree, Abu Naim Lop Ahmad, 61, said he realised that the two houses on the 12 floor of the flats were on fire after seeing heavy smoke clouding the air on the verandah outside his unit on the 13th floor at 10am.

"I was cradling my grandson Mohd Riyadh Solihin Shahrul Azlan in the living room and while my wife was preparing lunch in the kitchen when I saw the heavy smoke.

"I quickly switched off all power points and left the house with my wife and grandson. We didn't even get to take along any important documents," he said.

Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue station operation commander Armdan Mahad said they received the distress call at 10.09 am and 26 firemen with three engines were rushed to the scene.

"Initial investigation found that the fire broke out at a unit on the 12th floor and spread quickly to the neighbouring unit and to 13th floor, but we managed to put off the blaze completely after an hour," he said.

Armdan said the two houses were completely destroyed, but the cause of fire was still being investigated.

Meanwhile, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall had expressed preparedness to provide transit houses to the families involved as soon as possible.

Its housing and social community management director Wan Mohd Ghazali Nor said at present, all victims were placed at the community hall.