KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- The death of three young siblings in a fire in Kelana Jaya, Selangor, has once again turned the focus on tragic home accidents. It has traumatised the family, their grief shared by all Malaysians.It is also a reminder of the constant hazard of fire which can break out in homes and buildings.

What is also disturbing in this particular case is that questions have been raised as to whether the victims could have been saved.

There are allegations of 999/994 emergency telephone lines not being manned and the wrong number of the fire station being given which resulted in precious time lost. Two neighbours of the victims have lodged police reports.

The death of the three also highlights the larger issue of fire prevention in the country. There have been three previous fatal fires over the last one week which claimed a total of seven lives.

Last Saturday, a woman and her three-year-old son as well as two nieces aged 15 and seven perished in a fire in a shop in Sabak Bernam.

The following day, a 45-year-old man died when fire razed 35 houses in a village near Kota Baru while on Monday, two sisters aged two and four died when fire swept their home near Bahau, Negri Sembilan.

Yesterday, there was yet another fire which razed five shops in Jertih, Terengganu, but fortunately this time there were no casualties. It is tragic that the majority of these fire victims are young which could indicate that, being young, they could not find their way out of a burning house or building.

Clearly, there is need to educate the general public on fire prevention and what they should do when there is an outbreak.

Children, in particular, must be constantly reminded on the precautions they should take in the event of a fire and how they could get out of the house. Simple steps such as these could go a long way in preventing casualties.

Malaysians are a very security-conscious lot, often to the point of being obsessive. Iron grilles are fixed at doors, windows and even in flats seven storeys up.

Since such measures may be necessary because of the prevailing crime situation, houseowners could at least ensure that the grilles in their windows can also open outward so that in an emergency, they allow the occupants of the house to get out.

The grilles are meant to prevent burglars or robbers from getting into the house but if the grilles cannot open out, the occupants will be trapped inside if there is a fire.

Even if the fire inflicts only minor burns on the victims, the smoke and fumes could prove fatal.

There have been numerous cases where assistance from the outside could not reach the victims because access into the premises is hampered by these grilles. If the grilles of houses are not made to open out in an emergency such as a fire, then for their own safety the occupants should immediately change them. This expenditure may save their lives one day.

Another fire prevention measure that can be adopted is that owners of houses and apartments which are very old should call in the professionals to check the old electrical wiring to ensure that there is no danger of a short circuit.

It is not uncommon for a short circuit to trigger off a fire and such a precaution would be desirable for old dwellings.