Elderly woman, 70 cats and five dogs killed in house fire in Malaysia’s Kelantan state
An 89-year-old woman was killed after a fire gutted her home in Kelantan while her adoptive daughter was away at work. The blaze also claimed the lives of 70 pet cats and five stray dogs. Firefighters said the house was almost completely destroyed.
MALAYSIA: An 89-year-old woman and dozens of animals were killed after a fire gutted a residence along Jalan Tok Guru in Kelantan on Sunday (25 Jan), in a tragedy that unfolded while her adoptive daughter was away at work.
Norhaeda Azahari, 51, said she was in Pengkalan Chepa on work-related matters when she received a phone call at around 6pm alerting her to the fire.
By the time she arrived at the scene, flames had already engulfed most of the house, and she was informed that her adoptive mother, Fatimah Mat Said, had died inside.
Victim Unable to Flee; Animals Perish in Blaze
Norhaeda said Fatimah was elderly, frail and had impaired vision, although she was still able to walk.
She was believed to have been unable to escape in time as the fire spread rapidly through the house.
70 cats kept in cages inside the home were killed in the fire, along with five stray dogs that Norhaeda regularly fed and which roamed around the property.
Fatimah’s body was recovered by police and fire personnel at about 8.39 pm, after firefighting operations concluded.
Kota Bharu Fire and Rescue Station Operations Commander Senior Fire Officer II Satyuti Satar said emergency services received a distress call at 5.58 pm.
A total of 27 firefighters were deployed, but the house was already about 98% destroyed when they arrived.
