KOTA KINABALU: Siti Juanna Mahrop and her three children recently experienced a sudden tragedy when they lost their husband and father in a fire that destroyed a neighbor’s house in Labuan. The family narrowly escaped the tragic incident and are now dealing with the loss of their loved one. Gillian Donald, Siti Juanna’s husband, bravely rushed to rescue a family of seven who were trapped upstairs due to the flames engulfing the double-storey terrace house at Merinding Garden, off Jalan OKK Daud.
After pulling the victims to safety with the help of other neighbors, Gillian, 41, collapsed and passed out on the road, succumbing to suffocation due to over-inhalation of smoke at around 4 am.
His family, overwhelmed by the incident’s aftermath, said, “While we are starting to accept what took place, the sense of loss and shock still lingers. My children and I are devastated; we had never expected this. But we take solace in how he gave his life to save us and others. His memory will live on forever,” Siti Juanna said when contacted.
Gillian took care of the family as his wife, an Immigration Department personnel, had been on unpaid maternity leave since giving birth to their youngest child in 2020. This left Gillian, who worked in oil and gas, with the responsibility of providing for his wife and children aged four, 13 and 15.
According to Siti Juanna, her husband was always ready to help those in need. Rogy @ Rothstewart James Pang, the head of the family of seven saved from the burning house, hailed Gillian as a “superhero” in an interview on Thursday.
However, Siti Juanna said her family is uncomfortable with the publicity that the incident has garnered. She mentioned that her husband was humble and never sought recognition for any help he provided to others. She also acknowledged the contributions of other neighbors who were equal in the task of rescuing the victims.
She recalled being woken up by an explosion and a booming sound, which led Gillian to rush to their neighbor’s house and be caught in the tragic incident. She mentioned being traumatised by the chaotic scenes unfolding outside as Gillian and others scrambled to save those trapped in the burning house.
In addition to Pang and his wife, the other five trapped in the house included his four daughters aged between five and 14 and his 67-year-old mother in-law. After her husband passed out, neighbors visited Siti Juanna and comforted her while urging her to be patient. “I was hoping he would be okay … I had to be calm and strong for my children,” she said. Gillian was laid to rest at the Muslim cemetery in Likas on the Wednesday evening following the tragic incident.
