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An 81-year-old resident at a nursing home in Kaki Bukit, Perlis, set multiple fires at the facility after staff refused to allow his 72-year-old female companion to accompany him on a hospital visit.
The recent incident occurred around 8:30 am at the Pusat Jagaan Rumah Sejahtera Kaki Bukit nursing home, causing an estimated RM200,000 in damages.
It marked the first suspected arson case in the facility’s 69-year history.
According to the nursing home’s management, the elderly man was scheduled to visit the central hospital to collect a hearing aid.
However, he insisted that his long-time female companion, who has lived at the facility with him since 2018, accompany him on the trip.
When staff denied the request due to the woman lacking proper documentation, the man declared, “If she doesn’t go, I won’t go either,” and abandoned the planned hospital visit.
CCTV Evidence Shows Calculated Three-Location Arson
Nursing home secretary Chong Heong Beng said she received a phone call about smoke in the building approximately 5 to 10 minutes after leaving the premises.
CCTV footage revealed the man’s actions: He retrieved a container of petrol from the storage room, poured it on the kitchen storage cabinets and set them ablaze.
He then returned to his own bed area to start another fire before proceeding to the hall to set a third fire.
The blaze alerted other residents, who immediately used fire extinguishers to control the flames in the kitchen and sleeping areas.
The fire did not spread to other bed spaces.
Extensive Property Damage and Safety Consequences
Eventually, firefighters arrived to assist with extinguishing the fires.
However, approximately 200 chairs, six air conditioning units, and several tables in the hall were destroyed.
Deputy chairman of the nursing home, Lo Kwong Yip, said the elderly man had no history of mental illness or criminal involvement during his stay since 2018, though he occasionally had disputes with other residents.
Due to the serious threat to facility safety, management has decided to bar both residents from continuing to live at the nursing home.
The man’s children have been notified, and police reports have been filed.
All residents and staff were evacuated safely with no injuries reported.
Parts of this story have been sourced from Kwong Wah Yit Poh
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