PETALING JAYA: The fire that claimed the lives of five family members at a house in Kampung Pamah Kulat, Raub, on Feb 26 was caused by a short circuit, says Pahang executive councillor Fakhruddin Ariff.
The local government, housing, environment and green technology committee chairman said investigations by the Pahang fire and rescue department (JBPM) found that the short circuit was triggered by an irregular wiring system.
“Based on analysis conducted by Pahang JBPM, 15 out of 35 building fires so far this year were caused by electrical faults, accounting for about 43%,” Bernama reported him as saying in Kuantan today.
Fakhruddin said another seven cases (or 20%) were caused by faulty gas equipment and six by smouldering embers (about 17%). The cause of the fires in the remaining cases is still under investigation.
He said the state government planned to ensure every home in Pahang is equipped with fire extinguishers, particularly for fires involving electricity or gas, as these cannot be extinguished with water.
The victims of the Feb 26 fire were Alawi Muhammad, 56, his wife Zaleha Adam @ Ibrahim, 44, and their three children, Ruby Adira Batrisya, 17, Ruby Adlina Banin, 14, and Ruby Azyan Barizah, 10.
Raub police chief Shahril Abdul Rahman said the couple had two other children who were not home at the time of the incident because they were staying at their school dormitories.
The blaze destroyed the entire house as well as three cars and three motorcycles.
