A decade of savings was destroyed when a fire razed a family home in Kampung Gok Kapur, leaving them homeless and forced to rebuild from scratch.
KOTA BHARU: A family’s decade-long effort to build financial security was wiped out in a matter of moments when RM20,000 in cash savings was destroyed in a fire that razed their home in Kampung Gok Kapur yesterday.
The blaze not only left the family homeless but also erased years of savings painstakingly accumulated as a safeguard for their future, forcing them to begin rebuilding their lives from scratch.
A lorry driver with a canopy installation company, Mohd Khairul Azwan Annuar, 34, said he was in Bachok when he received a distressing call from his wife, Siti Saidah Mohd Kamsi, 33, informing him that their house was on fire.
“As soon as I received the call, I rushed home immediately, but by the time I arrived, the house had already been destroyed.
“My wife only managed to save important documents. The RM20,000 cash that we had been saving little by little over the past 10 years was also reduced to ashes in the fire,” he told reporters at the scene today.
Mohd Khairul said the family had kept the money at home for convenience, allowing them quick access whenever it was needed.
The father of three said the fire also destroyed a house that served as a grocery shop operated by his wife, as well as another house occupied by his physically disabled uncle, Mat Jusoh, 83.
“I am still struggling to come to terms with what has happened. We have lost the home that our family has lived in for more than 30 years.
“For now, my wife, our three children and I are staying at Banggol Mosque while we consider our next steps,” he said.
He expressed hope that assistance would be extended to ease the burden facing his family and other victims who lost almost everything in the disaster.
“I hope there will be support for those affected so that we can rebuild our lives after this tragedy,” he added.
Yesterday’s fire destroyed 27 houses in Kampung Gok Kapur. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the incident, with a fire forensic team conducting detailed examinations at the scene.
