Schoolgirl, 13, buying snacks dies in grocery shop fire
The 13-year-old schoolgirl wanted to buy some snacks at a grocery store in Pendang, Alor Setar.
While she was choosing the snacks, the building caught fire.
Wan Putri Nur Aisyah Abdullah could not get out of the shop in time and was burnt to death, The Star reported.
Shop owner Che Fauzial Doya said she was attending to the girl when she suddenly spotted flames on the ceiling outside her shop.
The 47-year-old told The Star: “I rushed out quickly to try to douse the fire as it was spreading towards where I stored my cooking gas cylinders.
“But the blaze spread quickly due to the strong wind.”
Screaming
While she was busy putting out the fire, a food stall owner nearby told her that someone was screaming inside her shop.
That is when she realised that the girl was inside.
Mr Wan Mohamad Firdus Abdul Wahab, 24, a friend of the girl’s father who was waiting for her outside the shop, said he tried to rush in to save her but was driven back by the intense flames.
He said: “I could hear her screams, which lasted only about five seconds.
“I tried, but could not do anything. I also heard several explosions as I ran out of the burning building.”
Fire and Rescue officials found her body at the back of the shop.
She could have run to the back of the shop to try and escape but she became trapped, the operation commander was quoted as saying.
Source: The Star
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