SHAH ALAM - The installation of permanent grilles in homes is not recommended as it places a risk and blocks residents from escaping during an emergency.
Selangor Fire Department Chief Datuk Norazam Khamis said the safest grilles to use are ones that could be opened from the inside.
"The Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) has produced a design that could be opened from the inside in the event of an emergency.
"If there are owners of a premise wanting to install grilles, they could refer to us (fire department) to get the right design," he told Sinar, today.
Norazam said the grilles had caused several deaths as a permanent fixture trapped victims and suggested installing grilles that could be opened from the inside.
He said the installation of grilles in a home must have a means of easy access in the event of an emergency. "If it required keys, it should be easily accessible for all of the residents including children," he added.
Norazam said last year, there were 782 cases of fires in shops and houses with seven deaths recorded.
He added among the cause of the fires were short circuits due to cracks in cables, overload of power flow, local heating at terminals due to loose connections in addition to incorrect installation in terms of the use of wire sizes and fuses.
"Statistics showed 75 per cent of fire outbreaks were caused by electrical elements. Therefore, maintenance or even prevention should be implemented immediately," he explained.
On Monday, two siblings died in a fire at a house in Jalan Dewan Simpang, Gombak.
In the incident at 3.50am the victims Nur Syaza Alfisya Muhammad Faizan, 10, and her brother Muhammad Al Qayyum Muhammad Faizan, 7, were found dead at the scene.
The parents of the victims were not at home and the victims had tried to escape based on the conditions of the bodies, but the grille was locked.