Malaysia

4 siblings save disabled grandparents from Gaya Island fire

Children see mother struggling to get elderly relatives aboard rescue boat, pitch in to help

Updated 5 years ago · Published on 12 Mar 2021 12:33PM

4 siblings save disabled grandparents from Gaya Island fire
Julaipa Mohd Kalbi, 34, with three of her four children who pulled their elderly grandparents out of the Gaya Island fire that occurred last night. – The Vibes pic, March 12, 2021

KOTA KINABALU – Four siblings risked their lives to save their disabled grandparents when their house in Gaya Island caught fire last night.

The two boys and two girls, aged between 6 and 10, helped their mother pull their grandparents onboard a rescue boat.

Their mother Julaipa Mohd Kalbi, 34, said everything was happening so fast once they noticed their neighbour’s house was on fire.

The Gaya Island blaze spread rapidly, leaving the residents of Kg Lok Urai with no choice but to abandon their homes without collecting important belongings. – The Vibes pic, March 12, 2021
The Gaya Island blaze spread rapidly, leaving the residents of Kg Lok Urai with no choice but to abandon their homes without collecting important belongings. – The Vibes pic, March 12, 2021

“I tried to move both my parents, but they were too heavy for me alone. I called on my children for help and we managed to drag them out of the house and into the boat.

“In a panic, I heard my father telling us to save ourselves and my mother,” she told The Vibes when met at the Sembulan temporary shelter here today.

Julaipa said they did not bring anything with them as the blaze had spread very quickly.

“We now have nothing. The fire spread too quickly.”

A view of the homes destroyed by the fire in Kg Lok Urai, Gaya Island in Kota Kinabalu last night. – The Vibes pic, March 12, 2021
A view of the homes destroyed by the fire in Kg Lok Urai, Gaya Island in Kota Kinabalu last night. – The Vibes pic, March 12, 2021

Some 73 houses in Kg Lok Urai were razed last night, leaving more than 200 people homeless.

The victims have currently been placed in temporary shelters. – The Vibes, March 12, 2021

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