M'sian woman, 89, dies alongside 70 pet cats & 5 dogs in house fire

An 89-year-old woman was burned alive with her 70 pet cats and five stray dogs after her house caught on fire in Kelantan, Malaysia.

Sinar Harian reported that the victim was Fatimah Mat Said, an elderly woman who had poor eyesight but was still able to walk.

Her adoptive daughter, Norhaeda Azahari, 51, spoke to the outlet stating that she got a phone call at around 6pm, and rushed home only to be met with the blaze.

"I lost my adoptive mother, 70 cats and five dogs in the blink of an eye."

Fatimah's body was recovered by police and firefighters at around 8:39pm after the blaze at Jalan Tok Guru in Kota Bharu, Kelantan subsided.

Victim was seen waving and shouting for help

Norhaeda told Sinar Harian that her adoptive mother did not have time to save herself and the "70 cats were kept in cages".

"The five stray dogs that I often fed and roamed around the house also died."

According to Bernama, the victim was seen waving her hands and shouting for help.

A neighbour, Anis Sutrliati Mohamad, 46, told Bernama that she heard a loud crash.

"The fire was raging at the time, and I saw the victim fall to the lower portion of the house. I could not help because the heat was too intense, so I immediately contacted the fire department."

The Kota Bahru Fire and Rescue station received an emergency call at 5:58pm on Jan. 25, and when the 27 firefighters arrived at the scene a few minutes later, the house measuring 60 by 60 square feet was already 98 per cent destroyed.

Fatimah was found dead at the scene.

The cause of the fire and estimated losses are still being investigated.

Top photo from Siti Norhaslida Mat/TikTok and Sinar Harian