Five members of a family scalded in Kedah house fire

Five members of a family suffered burns, with four of them reported in critical condition, in a house fire at Taman Derga Jaya here today.

They have all been warded at the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital (HSB) here at 7.20 am Kedah Health director Datuk Dr Norhizan Ismail said in a statement today.

He said the victims, comprising a married couple and their three children, were sent to the hospital by neighbours.

"They were brought to the critical zone and given emergency treatment immediately by specialists and the medical team," he said.

Norhizan said the man of the family, aged 48, only suffered four per cent burns and in stable condition, while his wife, aged 41, sustained 21 per cent burns, was in critical condition and on breathing aid.

He said the couple's three children were also in critical condition, with the oldest, a 22-year-old daughter, sustaining 32 per cent burns.

"The second daughter, aged 17, suffered 19 per cent burns, while her four-year-old brother sustained respiratory tract burns from smoke inhalation. All the three children also require breathing aid," he said.

Meanwhile, Kedah Fire and Rescue Department Fire Superintendent Mohd Naim Mat Jaaffar said the department received a distress call on the fire at 6.48 am and arrived at the scene about 10 minutes later.

"The fire involved a single storey bungalow house and all the victims had been brought out (of the house) and taken to hospital by the public before the fire-fighters arrived,'' he said.

- BERNAMA