Coming soon: Norshahrize showing the new house that is being built.
IPOH: To this day, the sound of fire engine sirens sends jitters down their spine, reminding them of the nightmare when their homes were burned down.
It has been tough for Norshahrize Ismail, whose family of nine was renting a wooden house in Kampung Pasir Puteh here when it was razed to the ground on the afternoon of Sept 3.
Since then, some of them have been staying put in a tiny hut while the rest are making do with a tent.
Norshahrize, who earns a living by selling recyclable items, said it was a horror to have lost their belongings, but having to pick up the pieces after that was another ordeal.
“I have seven children aged between nine and 20. All our important documents turned to ash. It took us some time to get to government agencies to re-issue our birth certificates, identification cards, and driving and motorcycle licences.
“Some of us need to go to work, while some of my children are still schooling, so finding the right time to settle everything wasn’t easy. But somehow, we managed to get our documents done,” said Norshahrize, 36.
Prior to the fire, she said her husband had built a small hut near their rented house where he planted vegetables.
“Ever since the fire, my family has been staying at the hut, with makeshift toilets and kitchen.”
Norshahrize said she and two of her children were at home when the fire broke out.
“We ran out with just the clothes on our back. There was no time to take anything as the fire was spreading really fast.”
Despite the difficulties that the family is going through, she is relieved that no one was hurt during the fire, which was believed to have been caused by a short circuit.
“I am thankful to the Masjid Abidin imam and the Lions Club of Perak Silver State for quickly raising funds for the construction of a new house at the site where the temporary hut is.
Badly damaged: Le Thi and her brother-in-law Lim Leng Yong, 54, showing the upper floor of the house that was razed in a fire.
“My husband, who has the know-how in building houses, and my older sons are now gradually building a simple house,” she said.
Imam Ustad Mohd Fairus Saidan, 41, spoke of how he enlisted some friends to put up a tent for the family earlier as the hut was too small to fit all nine of them.
The family was provided with food and clothes by generous people, he said, adding that he hopes the house can be completed soon.
“Norshahrize’s husband works as an air-conditioner repairman, so he can only start construction work after his working hours,” he said.
Another fire victim is housewife Le Thi Cam Giau, 35, a Vietnamese married to a Malaysian.
The couple was living with their two children, her father-in-law and a sister-in-law at Pasir Pinji here when a fire on Nov 10 razed the entire upper floor of their double-storey house.
“Thankfully all our important documents were kept on the ground floor of the house. But most of our clothes and other belongings were destroyed,” she said.
At present, they are putting up at her husband’s sister’s house nearby until they get the green light from the insurance company to begin repairs at their home.
She said her wheelchair-bound 89-year-old father-in-law is in anguish.
“He can’t wait to get back to our own house where he is more comfortable,” she said.
Recalling that fateful day, she said that all of them, except for her father-in-law, had gone for breakfast about 10 minutes away from the house.
“We left at around 10am. An hour later, we got a call from my husband’s cousin who lives a few doors away telling us to get home at once as our house was on fire.”
But there was merciful providence that day, she said.
“We would usually lock our doors before going out. We thought we had secured the padlock of the door grill that day, but somehow it was not locked.
“A friend who was passing by saw smoke coming out from the top floor of the house, and managed to get my father-in-law to safety,” she said.
Le Thi said the fire had started from her 12-year-old daughter’s room. All the five rooms on the upper floor and the roof were badly damaged.
“Thankfully, the firemen arrived within minutes and put out the fire before it caused any damage to the lower part of the house,” she said.
Since then, she said her family would get jittery whenever a fire engine passes by as they remain tramautised.
Last Thursday, Pasir Pinji assemblyman Goh See Hua provided RM500 from his constituency fund to help the family.
