2 M'sian sisters, 15 & 13, die after house fire in Johor; window grilles allegedly blocked escape

Two sisters have died after a fire tore through their home in Taman Ehsan Jaya, Johor Bahru, Malaysia, on Tuesday night, with window grilles allegedly preventing them from escaping.

The victims, identified by Sin Chew Daily as 15-year-old Huang Yujie and 13-year-old Huang Yuning, were found unconscious in a bedroom on the upper floor of the two-storey terrace house.

Both were conveyed to the hospital, where they passed away.

It is believed the sisters were unable to escape through the windows due to metal window grilles and inhaled too much smoke before losing consciousness.

Firefighters arrived within minutes

Johor Jaya Fire and Rescue Station operations commander Senior Fire Officer I Rafie Ahmad Sareng said his team received the emergency call at 9:06pm and arrived on scene within six minutes.

He told Sinar Harian:

“When we arrived at the scene at 9:12pm, the two-storey terrace house was already on fire. About 60 per cent of the house had been destroyed.”

Firefighters located the two sisters unconscious in an upstairs bedroom during search and rescue operations. Emergency Medical Rescue Services personnel administered CPR on the spot before both were rushed to the hospital.

A total of 14 firefighters were deployed, with additional support from surrounding fire stations.