A PEOPLE'S Volunteer Corps (RELA) volunteer who had been helping victims of a recent fire in Kampung Bahagia has herself become a victim after her home was destroyed in another blaze while she was on duty at a temporary evacuation centre.
Halimah Hassan, 56, was serving at the relief centre at Sekolah Kebangsaan Kampung Bahagia when she received news at about 3.30am that her house in Kampung Karamunting had caught fire.
Speaking to reporters, the RELA member said she never imagined she would face the same hardship as those she had been assisting over the past 10 days.
“Since the first day of the Kampung Bahagia fire, I have been on duty at the evacuation centre and witnessed the difficulties faced by the victims. This time, I am experiencing it myself.
“Fortunately, important documents were saved by my child who was at home during the incident,” she said.
Police personnel at the centre helped transport her home, but by the time she arrived, the fire had already spread extensively.
The blaze was part of a recent larger incident that destroyed about 30 houses over an estimated 1.4 hectares, while around 100 other homes were successfully saved.
Despite her loss, Halimah, who has served as a RELA member for 12 years, said she intends to continue volunteering due to a shortage of personnel assisting victims at the evacuation centre.
Berita Harian reported today that another victim, Windey Rahim, said he was at work as a security guard at Hospital Duchess of Kent when the fire broke out.
He rushed home after being informed of the incident and was relieved that his three young children, aged between four and 10, were safe.
“We are now waiting for instructions from the authorities on where residents will be relocated.
“It is heartbreaking as nothing could be saved, but we can only accept what has happened,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (KUSKOP) has introduced several recovery measures to assist entrepreneurs affected by the Kampung Bahagia fire.
Deputy Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin said the assistance includes a financing moratorium of up to six months offered by TEKUN Nasional and Bank Rakyat, allowing affected borrowers to reschedule their repayments.
He added that Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia is providing cash assistance of up to RM5,000 through its welfare fund to help rebuild businesses, along with a daily allowance of RM50 for medical treatment.
“Under the Malaysian Cooperative Commission, immediate assistance of RM3,000 is provided, while emergency aid of RM30,000 is offered to cooperatives to restart their businesses.
“So far, we have identified 70 affected entrepreneurs, comprising 33 TEKUN entrepreneurs, 34 AIM entrepreneurs, three Bank Rakyat entrepreneurs, as well as seven cooperatives involving 300 members,” he said after visiting victims at the temporary evacuation centre at the Batu Sapi People’s Housing Project hall.
Mohamad said the ministry understands the difficulties faced by affected entrepreneurs, particularly those in the micro, small and medium enterprise sector, and is committed to providing support to ease their burden.
He added that authorities will continue to monitor the situation and assess further needs to ensure affected individuals receive ongoing assistance and encouragement. - April 29, 2026
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