Burnt down: The longhouse in Taman Ikan Emas in Cheras completely destroyed in the fire:-

KUALA LUMPUR: Four families have been displaced after a fire swept through a longhouse in Taman Ikan Emas, Cheras here.

A pet dog, belonging to one of the families, survived unscathed despite it being chained to a metal table behind the house.

It was discovered alive and well after the fire was put out.

The owner, food vendor Liew Swee Kien, 55, said his pet had sought refuge under the table.

“Doing so must have shielded it from the flames,” he said.

Liew’s family and neighbours managed to run to safety after screams from passers-by woke them up from their sleep at around 5.50am yesterday.

In their haste, they were unable to salvage their belongings.

Housewife A. Espery, 49, said a street cleaner banged on the door to her house to alert the family.

“The house was already engulfed in flames by then,” she said. “Our first thought was to run away. We didn’t stop to take anything.”

Espery, who was discharged from hospital a week ago after receiving treatment for back pain, said she was with her husband and three children when the fire broke out.

They have been living in the house for more than 20 years.

Accounts executive Elaine Too, 36, was grateful that she and her family escaped unhurt.

“The screams of passers-by woke us up,” she said. “The flames were spreading really fast. We would have died if we did not wake up.”

“The entire block was completely gutted within 30 minutes,” Elaine added.

The four families will be temporarily placed in a complex in Cheras.

City Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (operations) Azizan Ismail said 26 firefighters took about 10 minutes to put out the blaze.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

– The Star