LANGKAWI: An 8-year-old boy who perished when a guardhouse at a Kilim landfill was destroyed in a fire today had been accompanying his father to work.
Mohammad Syukrey Azrey’s grandfather, Ramli Puteh, 59, said it was common for the boy to follow his security guard father, Azrey Ali, 34, to the landfill.
However, Ramli said he did not expect that things would end in tragedy.
"I have 11 grandchildren, but Mohamad Syukrey was the closest to me. Now he's gone.
"He had followed his father (to work) a number of times before and we never thought that this incident would befall him," said Ramli tearfully when met at the scene today.
In the 3am fire, Mohamad Syukrey was burnt to death when he was trapped in the guardhouse, while his father escaped with burns on his face and left arm.
Langkawi deputy police chief Deputy Superintendent Mahani Mohamed said the investigation to ascertain the cause of the fire is being carried out by the Fire and Rescue Department and the police's forensic team.