JOHOR BARU: Two children died in a house fire in Kampung Datuk Sulaiman Menteri, here, this afternoon.
The victims were identified as siblings Nurul Hawa Zafira Muhammad Fitri, 2, and Muhammad Zafran, 3.
Tebrau fire station chief Mohd Ridzuan Malek Rivan said it received an emergency call at 1.41pm.
"A seven-member team from Tebrau station, assisted by 14 firefighters from Larkin station, was despatched to the scene.
"When we arrived, the public had tried to put out the fire. We took about 40 minutes to put the fire under control.
"The fire had destroyed about 60 per cent of the house," Ridzuan said in a statement.
He said the charred remains of the victims were found in one of the bedrooms.
Johor Baru South deputy police chief Superintendent Lim Jit Huey said at the time of the incident, the victims were in the house with their mother.
"The mother then went next door to meet some relatives. They were the ones who noticed smoke coming out of the house.
"The bodies have been sent to Sultanah Aminah Hospital for further action," said Lim.
He said police had classified the case as sudden death and were investigating the cause of the fire with the help of the Fire and Rescue Department.