KUALA LUMPUR: All four victims of the USJ 2 fire which gutted a two-storey terrace house early this morning were from the same family.
The dead were identified as Lim Ah Kok 58, his wife, Goh Bee Khim, 52 and their two sons, Lim Yong Lieng, 20 and Lim Yong Wei, 17.
It is learnt that Ah Kok was an active member of the USJ 2 Residents Association.
All bodies were sent to the Serdang Hospital for post-mortem.
The couple's third child, Lim Yi Jun, escaped, as she stays at her college's hostel.
Yi Jun arrived at the scene at around 10.13am and was seen being comforted by relatives and neighbours.
The fire, which broke out at about 5.30am, was first noticed by the family’s neighbour, Mohd Dzamalkhan Abdullah Sani, 41.
'My wife alerted me and I could hear them screaming for help.
“I immediately called the fire and rescue department and in less than 10 minutes they arrived," he said.
"We rushed to the house, but we could not do much. The blaze was raging.
“They continued screaming, but all we could do was watch in horror until they finally went quiet,” he said.
Another neighbour, who refused to be identified, said the locked safety grills hampered rescue efforts.
"The gates were locked by an automatic system and the house did not have any emergency exits as well.
"We felt helpless and could only witness the firemen to do their job," he said.
Dzamalkhan described the whole family as very friendly and helpful.
He said he last saw the whole family two weeks ago, but could not speak to them, as they were busy with preparations for the Chinese New Year.