Ipoh blaze kills six, five of victims teenage buddies from same village

via Berita Harian video
via Berita Harian video

An Ipoh-area industrial park was struck by a deadly blaze yesterday afternoon, after an events company shop was engulfed in flames following a reported explosion.

Nearby residents reported that screams from those trapped inside could be heard, including a voice crying “Mak, tolong!” (Mom, help!); however, the sheer size of the fire meant that no bystander could help.

Seven individuals were inside at the time of the blaze, which started at 2pm inside an events management company, including the company’s owner, his wife, and their five employees. Only the wife made it out of the fire alive.

Officials believe that the blaze started on the second floor of the shop, where the company had allegedly been storing fireworks. Although they were licensed to use pyrotechnics, the premises where they were storing the explosives was not licensed to house them.

Twenty firefighters were able to contain the blaze before it spread to neighboring buildings; however, once inside, all bodies were found to be so badly burnt that they were unidentifiable.

Tragically, the brother of the owner, identifying himself as Appu, told Berita Harian that he heard the initial explosion and ran to the seen, trying to put the blaze out with a fire extinguisher to no avail.

Five of the six victims were all teens, boys from the same village, with four of them still enrolled in school while they also worked at the company. The youngest of them only 15 years old. One of the boy’s father spoke to media, saying that he had no idea that his son had taken a job, as he had advised him to focus on his studies.

“I know he wanted to earn some money to earn his motorcycle license,” he told The Star, adding that he found RM140 saved up in his son’s drawer.

Perak state government today told media that they were willing to bear “all of the costs, including funeral and other assistance” to the families affected by the fire, as “they are from poor families.”

Authorities are now investigating the case under Section 304 of the Penal Code for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.



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