Locked grille hampered rescue
Neighbours heard the screams for help and rushed to help, but there was nothing they could do.
Residents living near the doublestorey house, where four members of a family were killed in a fire in USJ 2, said they could only watch in horror.
Mohd Dzamalkhan Abdullah Sani, who noticed the fire at 5.30am, said his first instinct was to call for help.
“I could not do anything as the fire was intense.
“I immediately alerted the Fire and Rescue Department. They arrived in less than 10 minutes,
Dzamalkhan, 41, described the family as friendly and helpful.
He said he last saw the family two weeks ago but did not speak to them as they were busy with Chinese New Year preparations.
Another neighbour, who declined to be named, said the locked safety grille hampered rescue efforts.
“The gates were locked by an automatic system and the window grille, which had an emergency exit, were also locked.
“We were helpless.”
Fire and Rescue Department personnel had to cut the window grilles using a hydraulic cutter to try to rescue the victims.
Those who died in the fire were Lim Ah Kok 58, his wife, Goh Bee Khim, 52, and their children, Lim Yong Lieng, 20, and Lim Yong Wei, 17.
Ah Kok was actively involved in USJ 2 residents’ association.
The victims’ bodies were taken to Serdang Hospital for post-mortems.
The couple’s eldest child, Lim Yi Jun, 23, an actuarial science student, was in her college hostel at the time of the incident.
Her cousin, Suzette Chong, went to the hostel to inform Yi Jun of the tragedy.
Both of them arrived at the house at 10.15am. Yi Jun was seen looking distraught and being comforted by relatives.
She later entered the house accompanied by a relative to retrieve documents and personal items.
It was learned that vital documents were spared as they were kept in a safe box.
The family’s two dogs were rescued by neighbours.