"I thought smell of smoke from fireworks" - Witness

KUALA LUMPUR: A victim of the fire at Block 70 of the Sri Sabah flats in Cheras last night did not realise that the smell of smoke in his house at the 17th floor was actually the smell of smoke actually came from a fire in his neighbour's house.

Loo Choon Ming, 39, who has been living in the flats since a young boy said during the fire, he was watching TV in his house with his 62-year-old mother after celebrating the Chinese New Year with family and friends.

"I was watching TV when there was a strong smell of smoke but in the beginning I just ignored the smell thinking it was from fireworks.

"However, the smell of smoke started chocking, I decided to go out and check the source and only than did I realise that my neighbour's house was on fire," he told reporters, here last night.

"Realising the situation, I and a few friends tried to douse the fire but after trying for about 20 minutes, we realised it was futile and we quickly ran into my house and rescued my mother. But I could not save my belongings," he said.

He added that what was most disappointing was the the fire hydrant located at each floor was not functioning and that it resulted in the fire spearing to other areas quickly.

"There were more explosions soon after, probably due to gas cylinders," he said.

-- BERNAMA

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