M'sia woman, 73, dies in fire after reportedly going back to take belongings from home

A fire broke out at a Chinese village in Bukit Siput, Johor on Jul. 25, claiming the life of a 73-year-old woman.

According to China Press, the incident took place at around 4am and burnt down four houses.

The deceased initially escaped

According to the neighbours, they were awakened by the raging fire in the middle of the night, China Press reported.

The deceased, Chen Yayu, initially escaped the fire with her granddaughter, but she suddenly ran back to the burning house and never made it out again.

She reportedly went back to retrieve important belongings.

Her body was later discovered near the bathroom door of the house in a seated position.

Authorities believe that she died from smoke inhalation.

Her son-in-law recounted what had happened

Chen's son-in-law, Ye Defa, told China Press that when the fire occurred, only him, his mother-in-law and two daughters were at home.

He said that he was sleeping in his room at the front of the house when he heard a crackling sound.

When he got up to check, he saw that the window was already on fire.

He quickly woke Chen and his daughters and they rushed out of the house without taking anything.

One of his daughters told him that she saw Chen run back into the house with a bucket of water, possibly in an attempt to help extinguish the fire, but the flames had already grown uncontrollably.

Ye added that his wife, who works in Singapore, was on the way back after hearing the tragic news.

Worst fire the village has experienced

Local villages said that the fire was the most severe one to hit the community since the village was established, China Press reported.

Firefighters faced difficulties containing the blaze due to low water pressure and efforts to extinguish the flames were still ongoing even at around 9am.

The house where Chen lived was completely destroyed, along with two cars and two motorcycles parked outside.

The fire also severely damaged three neighbouring houses. Fortunately, those homes were either unoccupied or vacant at the time.

Authorities are currently still investigating the cause of the fire.

Top photos via Kin Lee Yap/Facebook