General : Brother Unable To Pull Mother To Safety As Grilles Block Escape in Deadly Fire

IPOH, September 20 - A brother recounted his harrowing attempt to rescue his mother from a fire that claimed the lives of their elderly parents and their 18-year-old nephew in a two-story house in Tambun, Ipoh. Raja Ikhwan Hadi Raja Ahmad, 47, the eldest of five siblings, described how his younger brother, Raja Muhammad Shukri, 30, managed to grab their mother's hand but was thwarted by metal grilles on the balcony, preventing him from pulling her to safety.

The fire quickly spread, trapping the elderly couple, Zaitun Mohamed, 64, and Raja Ahmad Raja Ali, 70, as well as their nephew, Nik Abdurrahman Azimin Harith Helal, 18, in the blaze. Raja Ikhwan Hadi, who was asleep nearby, only heard his nephew's desperate cries for help and the shattering of glass around 4 a.m. Despite his frantic attempts to enter the burning house, thick smoke and the urgency of the situation thwarted his efforts.

Neighbors, who also rushed to aid the trapped victims, were unsuccessful in their rescue attempts. The elderly couple and their grandson succumbed to the inferno. Raja Ikhwan Hadi informed reporters that his mother had expressed unease the previous evening, sensing something ominous. Nik Abdurrahman's father, Helal Zamri, 37, learned of the tragedy around 5:30 a.m. and expressed shock at the suddenness of the incident, noting that his son, who had grown up in the house, had seemingly been in good health and spirits.

Both Raja Ikhwan Hadi and Helal Zamri lamented their inability to save any additional belongings from the inferno.