Saturday, Dec 01, 2012
KOTA BARU - A restaurant owner braved the heat to save his daughter from a blaze that razed a row of double-storey shophouses in Pasir Tumboh, here, yesterday.
In the 9am incident, Noratiqah Rozman, 15, was sleeping in her room on the top floor when the fire broke out.
Rozman Mahmud, 45, was accompanying his wife and their son to a nearby farmers' market when a friend told him about the fire.
"I immediately rushed home and the first thing that crossed my mind was Noratiqah's safety. The fire was spreading rapidly. My hair almost caught fire and the heat was intense. But I ignored the dangers to save her."
He kicked down the door of his daughter's room and pulled her out of bed.
Rozman said he and his wife were glad that Noratiqah, who is their second child, suffered no injuries despite losing all their belongings, estimated at RM200,000.
The father of three said he and his family had been running the restaurant for 20 years.
State Fire and Rescue Department chief Zaini Bidin said 22 firemen were deployed to the scene after receiving a call at 9.30am.
She said the shophouses were about 50 per cent damaged when firemen arrived five minutes later.
"My men took about an hour to put out the fire and another 20 minutes to control it from spreading.
"We are investigating the cause of the fire," she said, adding that total losses were estimated at RM450,000 (S$180,785).
