WHAT happened

Twenty-one students and two wardens at a religious school in Kg Datuk Keramat, Kuala Lumpur, died in a fire at 5.50am yesterday. Fourteen students managed to escape.

Four students are in critical condition, while three others sustained minor injuries. They are being treated at Kuala Lumpur Hospital.

Health Minister S. Subramaniam said some of those who managed to escape sustained injuries such as broken bones in the leg and fractures in the shoulder and pelvis. A pupil who escaped said he and others had to climb down water pipes.

According to the Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department, the fire is believed to have started at 5.10am on the top floor of the three-storey building, where the dormitory was located.

What eyewitnesses said

One of the students who escaped told reporters that he saw the fire when he woke up at 5am. Two other students broke a grille to escape through a window. He and 13 others then climbed down the water pipes.

A resident, who was the earliest to arrive at the scene, said he heard screams but could do nothing as the doors were engulfed in flames. He said he saw several students jump out and climb down the water pipes.

One of the students who escaped, Muhammad Ihsan Husin, had also managed to rescue the baby of the school supervisor who was asleep on the third floor. His friend climbed through a window and passed the baby to him.

Ihsan said the door of the dormitory was on fire and that he noticed two gas tanks in front of the door. The tanks were not there the night before, he said.

An ustaz, Mohd Arif Mawardy, who was sleeping on the second floor, said he woke to the sound of gas hissing from above. He also said the fire on the third floor sounded like a “storm”.

The investigations so far

The Fire and Rescue Department is investigating the possibility that the fire was caused by mischief, dismissing the earlier theory that it could have started from a mosquito coil or a short circuit.

All the bodies were found burnt near the windows. The victims were believed to have been trapped by the grilles.

The bodies were brought to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital mortuary yesterday and DNA was collected from their next of kin for identification, as they were badly burnt.

What the school operators said

The only statement released by the school management was by the headmaster, Muhammad Zahid Mahmod, who said the 21 pupils and two wardens “did not die in vain” as they had left their families and friends in pursuit of religious enlightenment.

“These young children, they are martyrs (mati syahid),” he said.

The school’s deputy principal, Roslan Awang Ali, denied that the building had been illegally modified, and said the school had been using it as a temporary facility since February while a permanent complex was being renovated.

He denied building a partition on the third floor as claimed by Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Noh Omar, who said yesterday the school had submitted plans that were different from the building’s structure.

What we know about the school

Noh also said the school had been operating in the building without building approval by the local authorities. He said the fire department had yet to issue a certificate of completion and compliance.

He said the school had applied for certification, but the information given was different from that stated in the original building plans.

He said the original plans were for an “open concept” with two emergency staircases, and there would be no walls.

Fire and Rescue Department deputy director Soiman Jahid told reporters that buildings for schools and hostels could not operate without all the proper certifications.

The bunk beds were also said to have been placed too close to each other, causing congestion and hampering the students’ escape.

Roslan, the deputy principal, was also reported as saying the school had permission from the Federal Territory Religious Department (MAIWP) to use the building. The building’s previous owner had given the building to MAIWP as a “waqf” (donation).

Public reaction

Malaysians have conveyed their condolences to the families of the victims and unleashed their anger on social media. They called for action to be taken against the operators of the school to prevent a recurrence.

A petition at change.org has been started, seeking the setting up of a royal commission to conduct a public inquiry into tahfiz schools.

Children’s rights activist Dr Hartini Zainudin said the people responsible should be made to answer for not ensuring safety precautions were in place, and questioned why the school had started operations without complying with the law and prioritising students’ safety.

National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health chairman Lee Lam Thye wants the government to ensure all registered tahfiz schools raise their safety standards.

Former inspector-general of police Abdul Rahim Noor urged the government not to allow illegal tahfiz schools to operate, and close all unregistered tahfiz schools.

Rock singer Amy Search, who owns and operates tahfiz schools, has denied that the burnt school belonged to him. The confusion arose because he had been pictured with some of the students during a visit.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed, who visited some of the victims at Kuala Lumpur Hospital, said schools should review their emergency exits.

His wife, Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, who visited the site in Kampung Datuk Keramat, said the school authorities should take responsibility for the fire and not blame “fate”.

Majlis Dakwah Negara chairman Dr Mahmood Zuhdi Abd Majid said the fire should not be blamed on fate alone, and called for “mistakes in administration” to be looked at.

The government’s reaction

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said a panel to investigate the tragedy and look into standards and guidelines for tahfiz schools would be formed immediately without waiting for the Cabinet meeting next Wednesday.

In Penang, state religious affairs executive councillor Abdul Malik Abul Kassim said action would be taken against any tahfiz institution in the state that failed to meet fire safety guidelines.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Jamil Khir Baharom said foul play had been ruled out as the cause of the fire, and urged the public to avoid speculation. – September 15, 2017.