The tahfiz centre’s former assistant warden, Muhammad Umair Al-Fawwaz Mohd Gunawan, 23, said he was sleeping on the first floor when he was awakened at 5.30am on Sept 14, last year, by a hostel warden known as Ustaz Huzaifah.

“As soon as I woke up, I heard a sound like a loud wind blowing. I only realised it was a fire when I opened the door.”

He said he opened another door to the balcony and saw the blaze had spread to the second floor.

Giving evidence during the examination-in-chief by prosecuting officer Othman Abdullah, Umair said he then tried to gain access to the second floor through the staircase to rescue the students but was forced back by the intense heat.

The witness said he then hurried down to the ground floor to help some of the students who had escaped the fire by sliding down a pipeline. By that time, a crowd had gathered to offer assistance.

To a question from Haijan Omar, counsel for the two accused, on whether the centre was installed with fire extinguishers, the witness said he had seen two fire extinguishers, at the office and the students’ dormitory.

However, he was not sure if they were functional and said no fire drill was conducted during the one year he was working there.

The two boys, who were then aged 16, were jointly charged with the murders and causing the deaths of 23 people at the Pusat Tahfiz Darul Ittifaqiyah on Jalan Keramat Hujung, Kampung Datuk Keramat, here, between 4.15am and 6.45am on Sept 14 last year.

They were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same law, and face the mandatory death sentence if found guilty.

However, Section 97(1) of the Child Act 2001 states that a death sentence shall not be recorded against a person convicted of an offence if the child is under the age of 18. In lieu of the death sentence, as provided under Section 97 (2) of the same law, the court shall order the person to be detained at the pleasure of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

The hearing before Judge Azman Abdullah continues tomorrow.