Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email Saturday morning was an eventful day for me and Then. We received a call at 6am, which usually means a bad news somewhere. I was worried that its news about her ailing grandmother. Between tears, Then said that her eldest sister’s house was on fire! It was the second sister on the phone who conveyed the message. While preparing to leave, we Managed to get confirmation that everyone was safe. We packed some clothes as well, and quickly rushed to Kuala Selangor. Took about 1 hour 15 minutes drive (made worse by the road construction along Kapar and the rain). We reached the house at 7.25am. By that time there were about 20 people there. The house was totally gone.
As the story goes, my niece who was supposed to attend a camping activity for the weekend, woke up at 4am to get ready. She could feel the smoke, and found the back of the house on fire. She quickly rose the others, and the family fumbled in the dark and managed to escape through the front entrance. The managed to retrieve some of the important documents, but the flames spread fast and engulfed the house. The heat even damaged the surrounding trees and the water tank of the temple next door. The fire department were called, and the came about 10 minutes later, just in time to save the front verandah of the house.
No one dared to imagine what would have happened if my niece did not wake up. 😥
Later, investigations revealed the cause to be faulty wiring. The fire department staff came at about 9am or so, and poked around before coming to this conclusion.
MP for Kuala Selangor Daud Tarihep came in the morning with his second wife and gave some donation. He also promised to help with temporary housing, children school uniform and so on. Later an officer from MP’s office came to record some details for further processing.
Later in the morning, ADUN Bukit Melawati, Sayuti came and offered help as well. He came back in the evening around 5pm and brought some groceries. ADUN Ijok Parthiban also dropped by and consoled the family in the morning. Later in the afternoon, MP Kapar, Komala Devi came and spent about 20 minutes talking to the family and people there.
We spent the whole day in Kuala Selangor, helping around. Did some searches among the ruins to salvage whatever we can.
The family were very distraught since they lost many things that held the memories of their lives. Furthermore, the house was once occupied by the rest of the family members, thus causing them to feel sad as well. Imagine the place you grew up, started a family, lived half your life…go up in flames…only black ashes and arid smell is left. No more photos, souvenirs, collectibles, favorite chair, favorite saree…all gone. The home is no more.
Relatives, colleagues, friends continued to come and offer their condolences throughout the day. The people there helped to find a house for rent, and we did a super-fast house cleaning. Many came forward and arranged for furnitures, utensils, clothes, electrical appliances etc. A small prayer was conducted at 7pm and we left at 7.30pm.
Its not easy to restart their lives. The children are all taking important exams this year, and I hope this trauma does not affect the for long. They seemed to be a bit OK today. Luckily, Chinese New Year holiday is coming soon. They have more time to get some normalcy in place.
I’m so sorry to hear that. This is my first time reading it from someone close to me. Nothing can replace those momentos from your dear ones
Worst still is consoling the kids that they have to start everything fresh. I pray that the Almighty will bless them and prepare them for better days to come.