A fire engulfed the ground and first floors of a three-storey shophouse on Jalan Tun H.S. Lee in Kuala Lumpur at 2:13 a.m. Tuesday, when the Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department received the emergency call via the NG999 line [1, 2]. Firefighters arrived 12 minutes later to find the building ablaze [1, 2].
All 12 people caught in the fire were foreign nationals — 10 men and two women [1, 2]. Operations commander Azrul Khairi Abu Bakar said one man was pronounced dead by Health Ministry personnel, while 11 survivors were taken to hospital for treatment [1, 2].
Four adult men were pulled from the second floor [1, 2]. Two men and a woman stranded on the rooftop were brought down by ladder [1, 2]. "Four adult men were rescued from the second floor, while two men and a woman trapped on the rooftop were brought down using ladders," Azrul Khairi said [2].
The fire damaged roughly 50 per cent of the building across a floor area of approximately 15 ft by 70 ft [1, 2]. A total of 45 firefighters and officers from five stations — Jalan Hang Tuah, Titiwangsa, Pudu, Sentul and Sri Hartamas — responded [1, 2]. Equipment deployed included two Fire Rescue Tenders, two Light Fire Rescue Tenders, two water tankers, three Emergency Medical Rescue Services units and two Rapid Intervention Motorcycles [2].
"The fire was fully extinguished at 5.10 a.m.," Azrul Khairi said, adding that the cause and extent of losses remain under investigation [1].
Where sources differ
The two sources disagree on the rank of operations commander Azrul Khairi Abu Bakar: one identifies him as Deputy Superintendent [1], the other as Senior Fire Superintendent I [2]. They also differ on where the fatality was confirmed: one source implies death was declared after rescue [1], while the other states the male victim was pronounced dead at the scene by Health Ministry personnel [2].
Authorities say the cause of the fire is still under investigation [1, 2].
