PUTRA HEIGHTS FIRE: MOTHER RECALLS HARROWING ESCAPE AS CHILD’S SKIN BURNS

By Suraidah Roslan

KUALA LUMPUR, April 11 (Bernama) -- The gas pipeline fire horror in Putra Heights on April 1 will remain etched in the memory of Nurul Adawiyah Mohamad Ahwan who sustained abrasions on her knees and heel after falling into a drain while saving her three children in the incident.

Recalling the terrifying moments, Nurul Adawiyah, 38, who lives in Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru, said her house was only 50 metres from ‘ground zero’ and when the blaze broke out, she and her family felt a strong tremor.

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"When I stumbled outside, the fire was at its zenith. At that moment, my only thought was to save my children. I carried my youngest child who is four years old, while running with my other two kids aged six and eight, through the searing heat until I fell into a drain," she said.

Nurul Adawiyah was speaking to Bernama during the Putra Heights Tragedy Education Aid handover at the temporary evacuation centre at Putra Heights Mosque today.

She also recalled that while running to safety, she did not realise that her youngest child's legs had also been scorched.

“My youngest child (boy aged 4) didn’t cry at all; it was the older sister who alerted me saying, ‘Mama,  little brother’s legs are reddish.’ I thought it was just some mild redness, but when I pulled down his trousers, I saw that the legs were already burnt.

“So we immediately rushed him to the (hospital) emergency unit for treatment because we were worried, he being just a child, we feared something might happen to his tender skin,” she said.

However, her son was not admitted to the hospital but until now, the child’s foot remains bandaged.

Regarding the condition of the house inherited from her late father-in-law nine years ago, Nurul Adawiyah said it was completely destroyed in the fire while she and her family of five are now sheltering at her mother’s house, which is also in Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru.

“I decided to stay at my mother’s house because it is far from the light rail transit (LRT) station. My children are still traumatised by loud rumbling sounds like thunder or the LRT; they keep remembering the fire episode,” she added.

According to her, she will strive to rebuild the house located on her husband's family ancestral land, as it is the only legacy left by her late father-in-law after the area is declared safe to enter.

Sharing more about her losses suffered, Nurul Adawiyah, who runs a food stall in front of the house, said that her husband and brother-in-law operate a car rental and school bus business.

She said two buses, including a large one with a capacity of 44 passengers, and a rental car were completely gutted. However, the exact amount of their losses remains uncertain.

The gas pipeline fire, which occurred at 8.10 am on April 1, saw flames shoot to 30 metres high with temperatures reaching 1,000 degrees Celsius, taking nearly eight hours to be completely extinguished.

-- BERNAMA