Three Die in Taman Desa Tambun Fire as Grille Blocks Rescue Attempt

A pre-dawn fire in Taman Desa Tambun killed three family members early Sunday, leaving a son unable to pull his mother to safety because a locked metal grille blocked the balcony. The tragedy claimed the lives of both parents and their teenage grandson.

Early Sunday morning in Ipoh, a residential terrace house on Persiaran Desa Tambun 4 became the site of a fatal pre-dawn blaze. The fire destroyed the two-storey home, taking the lives of Zaitun Mohamed, 64, Raja Ahmad Raja Ali, 70, and their 18-year-old grandson, Nik Abdurrahman Azimin Harith Helal, who had lived with his grandparents since childhood.

Desperate Rescue Attempts and the Locked Balcony Grille

The fire broke out at approximately 4 a.m., according to accounts from family members at the scene. Raja Ikhwan Hadi Raja Ahmad, 47, the eldest of five siblings, recounted that he was sleeping near the parking area when he was awakened by the sound of breaking glass and shouts for help from his nephew.

At first, Raja Ikhwan thought the voice came from a neighbor’s house, but when he looked up, he realized it was his own house, with the screams originating from Nik Abdurrahman. As flames and thick smoke choked the stairwell, Raja Ikhwan attempted to enter the house and tried to douse the fire using a garden hose, but the hose was too short to reach the flames. He then ran outside to alert neighbors, who contacted the Fire and Rescue Department and attempted to assist.

Meanwhile, another younger brother, Raja Muhammad Syukri Raja Ahmad, 30, rushed to the property from a neighbor’s house nearby and climbed to the upper floor from the back. He managed to reach his mother through the smoke, but a locked metal grille on the balcony prevented him from pulling her out.

“He managed to hold my mother’s hand, but he could not get her out because the grille was locked. He told her to move towards the bathroom, but he eventually had to climb back down,”

A friend eventually managed to enter through the kitchen after breaking down the door, while neighbors helped remove a gas cylinder from the premises. Family members later informed firefighters that the father was still inside the bathroom, but the smoke was already very thick and the fire spread very quickly before firefighters arrived.

A Mother’s Uneasy Premonition Before the Fire

In the hours leading up to the disaster, familial recollections point to an unsettling sense of foreboding. Raja Ikhwan explained that he regularly slept on the porch when returning late to avoid disturbing his elderly parents. Before heading to sleep earlier that night, his mother had gone outside to switch off the lights and mentioned feeling uneasy.

“Before I went to sleep, my mother said she felt that something was wrong. She looked worried and said she had a feeling that something was going to happen. Then she said, ‘Oh, it’s nothing’,”

Of the six people who reside in the home, two family members were away when the fire occurred. Raja Ikhwan managed to move a motorcycle from the parking area, but there was not enough time to save anything else as the fire raged.

Waiting for Forensic Results at Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital

Helal Zamri, 37, the father of teenage victim Nik Abdurrahman, stated that he received notification of the incident and rushed to the scene from his home in Manjoi at 5 a.m. He noted that the last time he saw his son and his parents-in-law was earlier that week, and that his son worked with him in their catering business.

Three Die in Taman Desa Tambun Fire as Grille Blocks Rescue Attempt — Photo: NST Online

Helal added that he accepted the loss and described his son as a cheerful person who was generally happy, despite sometimes being serious and preferring not to be around many people.