Left with nothing, families find strength

KUCHING: Victims of a recent fire in Kampung Tabuan Cemerlang recounted their harrowing experiences.

Fatin

Fatin Mohamad Jaafar, 34, was out when she received the devastating news.

“My siblings called to say our house was on fire,” she recalled.

“I rushed home, but it was too late. We couldn’t save anything, but thankfully, no one was hurt.”

Fatin’s father, siblings, and other family members were inside the house at the time.

“They managed to escape before the situation worsened,” she said.

Karim

Karim Jamaludin, 45, was on his way to his father’s house when his wife called about the fire.

“I raced home but couldn’t do anything,” he said.

“The most important thing was to save our identification documents.”

Karim hoped to find a new home soon.

“There are five of us: my wife, our three children, and me. Sadly, some of my children’s study materials were lost; fortunately they brought some to school.”

Normah

Normah Gom, 38, was doing chores with her children when the fire broke out.

“We saw our neighbours’ houses were on fire, so we grabbed our important belongings and documents,” she said.

“There were a lot, but we could only take what we could. My children were scared.”

Normah lost other essential items like clothes.

“We were shaken, but the most important thing is that our children are safe,” she added.