PUTRAJAYA: A senior Customs officer attached with the Goods and Services Tax division had a rude shock this morning when several vehicles belonging to his family caught fire in front of their Presint 11 home early this morning.
The 3.30am fire razed two cars - a Mercedes Benz belonging to the Customs officer's wife and his daughter's Perodua MyVi. The two other vehicles, a Proton Saga and a Honda CRV, were partially damaged.
Customs senior assistant director Nor Azman Mat Jini, 59; his wife Noor Hayari Khairuddin, 57; their daughter and son in-law as well as their two grandchildren were asleep when the fire broke out.
Authorities are investigating all possibilities including foul play, said Putrajaya Fire and Rescue Department director Md Hilman Abd Rashid.
"We received the call about the fire at 3.54am, and arrived at the scene at 4.07am. Eight firemen and a fire truck were deployed to put out the blaze.
"When we reached the scene, the four vehicles were burning and the fire had begun to spread to the front part of the house," he said when met at the scene.
Hilman said no one was injured as those inside managed to get out via the back door of the house.
Meanwhile, Nor Azman said he was grateful that no one was hurt in the incident.
"We were sleeping when the fire broke out. My neighbour alerted me and I immediately got my family out of the house through the back door.
"We couldn’t get out through the front door because of the intense heat from the flames,” he said, adding that his neighbour told him he heard a loud explosion.
Still shaken, Nor Azman was heard jokingly saying that the incident could be his "retirement gift". The senior Customs officer was due to retire in April.
His wife Noor Hayati said everyone panicked when the fire broke out.
"My husband tried to open the front door, but the intense heat and thick smoke held him back. He grabbed the backdoor key and told us to get to safety immediately. We clambered over the hedges.
"The only thing that I managed to grab while making our escape was my handbag which contained important documents and items."
Additional reporting by FAIRUZ MOHD SHAHAR