Fire destroyes 15 houses in Alor Setar

Around 15 houses were destroyed in a fire at Kampung Setinggan Batu, Jalan Sungai Korok near Tanjung Bendahara last night. According to the State Fire and Rescue Department director Ahmad Shahabuddin, at least eight houses were burnt down while the remaining were damaged. He said some of the houses were unoccupied and the fire is believed to have started from an abandoned house in the area. The actual cause is still being investigated. "We are still investigating, the middle row of houses is empty, there is no occupant. The cause and the loss are also under investigation," said Ahmad. The crowded condition of the village and their houses located close to each other is said to be another reason the fire blazed up so fast destroying the houses. Ahmad said the fire department received a call at 10.17 last night, the officers along fire engines arrived ten minutes later and was able to control the fire within 15 minutes. He also added that there were 17 fire engines along with 120 firemen, including volunteer firefighters involved in the fire-fighting session. All victims are safe and no injuries occurred in the fire incident. S.Sarangan, who is one of the victim, said that all the valuables in the house, including important documents such as certificates and identity card failed to be saved. He said, both his sisters were at home and he rushed home from a shop nearby when he was told about the fire incident. "My sister called me, I came on my motorbike. Fire fighters say that I am not allowed to go in, I felt hopeless and both my sisters were crying," he said. Meanwhile, a witness K. Ramalingam said, when it was his grandfather was busy watching television and all of a sudden he felt the heat and see the fire blazing his neighbour’s home. "I got a call saying that my backyard was on fire. At first we did not believe it, but when we saw fire coming from the temple area we believed it was true. When we arrived the fire has already spread," said Ramalingam.