Lucky escape: Hostel fire at Kulim religious school leaves 101 students unharmed 

KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 — A total of 101 male students escaped unharmed after a fire broke out at the upper floor of a boys’ hostel building at Sekolah Menengah Agama Tarbiah Diniah, Jalan Pegawai, here early this morning.

Kulim Fire and Rescue Station Operations Commander Assistant Fire Superintendent Abdul Mois Ahmad Mansur said the department received an emergency call about the fire at 2.47am, Harian Metro reported.

He said firefighters from the Kulim Fire and Rescue Station, assisted by personnel from the Kulim Hi-Tech Fire and Rescue Station, were dispatched to the scene.

“The operation was also assisted by the Lunas and Kulim Volunteer Fire Brigades.

“The Kedah Fire and Rescue Department Operations Centre received an emergency call directly to the station, informing that a school fire had occurred,” he said in a statement today.

Abdul Mois said firefighters found the blaze involved a two-storey boys’ hostel building, with about 65 per cent of the upper floor structure destroyed.

He said there were no casualties as all students staying at the hostel managed to evacuate themselves and gather at a safe location.

“Firefighting operations were carried out using water from the Volunteer Fire Brigade’s water tank.

“The fire was brought under control at 3.09am, followed by overhaul works to ensure there were no remaining sources of fire that could cause a recurrence,” he said.

Abdul Mois said the cause of the fire and estimated losses were still under investigation.

The affected students were understood to be from Forms Two, Three, Four and Six.