Senior citizen killed in Banting house fire

An 84-year-old man died in a fire which gutted a single-storey terrace house in Taman Seri, Telok Datuk, Banting, here last night.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (operations) Hafisham Mohd Noor said the charred remains of Kahar Md Yusof was found on a bed in his room.

The victim's wife, 72-year-old Muzlifah Mohd escaped unhurt and was sent to the Banting Hospital for treatment.

"The department received a distress call at 12.19 am. Upon arrival, we found that fire had already destroyed 30 per cent of the front part of the 1,400 square foot house and that an individual was trapped inside,” he said in a statement here today.

Meanwhile, Kuala Langat District Police chief Supt Azizan Tukiman said the victim's wife was rescued by neighbours after they heard screams for help coming from the house.

"However, they could not rescue the victim as the fire spread quickly due to a large number of boxes and newspapers near the room,” he said.

Azizan said the victim, who was a retired civil servant, was ill and might have found it difficult to escape.

"The victim’s body was sent to the same hospital for post-mortem and the cause of the fire is still under investigation,” he added.

-- BERNAMA