Associated Press

Kuala Lumpur, March 19:

A grandmother rushed into a burning house and saved her blind son-in-law minutes before the home burned to the ground in southern Malaysia, a newspaper reported today. Ramlah Abbas, 62, whose own house was also destroyed in the blaze, said she heard neighbours shouting “Fire!” while she was making breakfast, the New Straits Times said. “When I looked out the kitchen window, I could see my son-in-law’s house almost enveloped in fire,” she was quoted as saying. “The fire spread rapidly and the heat was intense.” Ramlah rushed into Azali Ghalib’s house and found him in the kitchen. “I quickly dragged him out through the back door,” she said, according to the report.

Azali, 40, a diabetic, lost his sight four months ago following complications from a kidney problem, the newspaper said. “I was too helpless and I did not know where to go,” Azali said in the report. “I could feel the heat getting nearer. Suddenly, my mother-in-law grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the house.” An official at the Larkin Fire Department in Johor Baru city said seven wooden houses were destroyed in the fire, but no one was injured. The cause of the blaze is under investigation, he said.