Anxious Moments For 50 Pupils And Teachers In Pre-School Fire

CHUKAI, Nov 16 (Bernama) -- Fifty pupils and teachers faced tense moments when the Pusat Asuhan Tunas Islam (Pasti) Raudhatul Athfal here caught fire today.

One of the teachers, Nur Amyrah Salihah Mohd Yusoff, said that when the fire broke out at about 10 am, 46 pupils aged between four and six were having breakfast after completing their recitation and prayers session.

She said the fire at the single-storey premises was first noticed by passers-by, who informed them that the upper section of the building, which housed four classrooms, was filled with thick smoke.

“My three colleagues and I quickly rushed the children out of the building, and then we saw flames shooting up and engulfing the entire upper section before spreading to other areas,” she told reporters at the scene. 

Nur Amyrah Salihah said all books and furniture were destroyed in the fire and all pupils have been given temporary leave.

Fire and Rescue Department operations commander Saariah Hassan said 18 firefighters from the Kemaman and Chukai fire stations rushed to the scene after receiving an emergency call at 10.09 am.

“The fire involved a semi-permanent single-storey building, of which about 70 per cent was destroyed. When we arrived, all occupants had already been safely evacuated and the flames were raging,” Saariah said when contacted.

Firemen took 15 minutes to bring the fire under control.

-- BERNAMA