Southwest district police chief Kamarul Rizal Jenal said a police team rushed to the scene after receiving a report of a fire at the shophouse at about 7am, Bernama reported.

He said the sole survivor identified the victims as his mother, aged 58, his brother, 33, and sister, 20.

“Based on an initial interview, the man, who is 30, said he, his mother and brother managed to get out of the shop when they realised that there was a fire.

“However, his mother and brother realised that their sister was still inside and went back into the shop to save her but ended up being trapped,” Kamarul said.

Their bodies were found by the firefighters after the blaze was put out, and sent to Hospital Balik Pulau for an autopsy.

Seri Balik Pulau fire and rescue station chief Faris Mansor said the station received a call at 7.06am and went to the scene with two fire engines with the assistance of a team from the Balik Pulau station.

“Upon arrival, we found that the fire was raging and were told that there were three victims trapped inside. We also had to ensure that the fire did not spread to the neighbouring shops,” he was quoted as saying.

He said the fire caused thick smoke because it involved furniture, such as carpets and mattresses.

“After putting out the fire, we found the bodies of two victims on the ground floor while the other one was on the top floor,” he said.