TANAH MERAH: Twenty-five female students of Sekolah Menengah Agama Maahad Ahmadi here escaped death when the rented home they were staying in was destroyed by a fire in the early hours of Sunday (Feb 25) morning.

“I was shocked to hear some small explosions at the kitchen before fire started to raze the area. I rushed to wake other students to flee from the fire,” said 18-year-old student Norfadhilah Amran.

She told reporters at the scene that the incident occurred at 4.30am when she and two other students were sleeping in the living room while the rest of the students slept in six separate rooms.

Another 18-year-old student added that she failed to save her school materials, including books, clothes and other important documents.

“The flame moved so fast. There has never been any fire in this area since I started living here about five years ago,” said Nuradriana Muhammad Zulkifli.

Meanwhile, Tanah Merah Fire and Rescue Department chief Fire Assistant Superintendent Hanaffi Mohd said 70 per cent of the house was already gutted by the fire when the firemen arrived at the scene.

He said that seven firemen and two engines took about 10 minutes to control the fire from spreading to other homes

“The occupants in the house were Form One to Form Six students from the religious school located about 500 metres from their accommodation and we are still investigating the exact cause of the fire,” he added. - Bernama