A fire caused by a burst gas pipe spread to several homes and sent a fireball soaring into the sky outside Malaysia's largest city Tuesday, injuring more than 100 persons.
The towering inferno near a gas station in Putra Heights outside Kuala Lumpur was visible for kilometres (miles) and lasted for several hours. It happened during a public holiday as Muslims, who are the majority in Malaysia, celebrate the second day of Eid.
National oil company Petronas said the fire started at one of its gas pipelines at 8:10 am and the affected pipeline was later isolated. Disaster management officials said shutting the valves would eventually snuff out the fire.
The flames, 20 stories high at one point, were small enough for firefighters to approach around 2:45 pm, the Selangor state fire department told the Star newspaper.
At least 49 houses were damaged and 112 persons were injured, with 63 sent to the hospital for burns, breathing difficulties and other injuries, Selangor Deputy Police Chief Mohamad Zaini Abu Hassan was quoted by a national news agency.
Selangor Chief Minister Amirudin Shari said the fire department evacuated nearby homes as a safety measure and the residents would be placed in mosques nearby until the situation is under control.
Pictures and videos of the fireball went viral on social media, with some residents saying they felt a strong tremor with the doors and windows of their homes shaking.
Lee Weng Ken, who suffered burns to his left leg, said he was shocked when the ceiling of his house collapsed and crushed his vehicle parked in the compound of the house.
“I rushed out of my house but fell and suffered burns due to the heat from the blaze near my house,” he told Bernama.
Another victim who only wanted to be known as Andy, told Bernama he ran out of his home with his children when they felt tremors and saw the raging fire about 100 metres (yards) away.
“I could only take the car out. My 18-year-old daughter injured her foot when she fell while climbing the fence due to the heat," he said.
Petronas said three gas stations were closed as a precaution, though they weren't affected, and investigations were still under way.Scores of people in Malaysia were being treated in hospitals on Tuesday after a huge fire broke out at a gas pipeline operated by state energy giant Petronas, showering flaming debris from the sky and shattering windows.Authorities said the blaze in the town of Puchong on the outskirts of the capital Kuala Lumpur had been extinguished by mid-afternoon. They said at least 305 people were affected, including those left homeless after some 190 homes were damaged.
No deaths were reported and the health minister said those admitted to hospital were all in a stable condition.
State news agency Bernama said 145 people had received hospital treatment and 41 had since been discharged, citing health ministry data. They were treated for burns, other injuries and respiratory problems, state authorities said.
The fire started early on Tuesday with a towering orange flame and billowing smoke that could be seen on the horizon from far away, according to early images on news outlets and footage shared on social media.
Witnesses in evacuation centres described scenes of chaos that started with an explosion.“The fire is really raging high. And then once you can see debris — you’re talking about debris which is still on fire — started to fall all over the place, that’s (when) we know something bad has happened,” said Raja Hilmy Bin Raja Idris, 59, whose house was a kilometre from the fire.
Evian Wee, 50, said she initially thought a tornado or earthquake had struck.
“I saw a red glow moving around … I kept hearing things falling — glass, stones, all crashing in. All the windows were shattered,” she said.
“It started off with the explosion, then the windows started shaking violently. That’s when we realised it was an explosion that led to the fire.”
Petronas said earlier it had isolated the pipeline and was working closely with all relevant parties to ensure the safety of the surrounding community, environment and security of gas supply to the country.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the state government and Petronas would take full responsibility for restoring the area, adding that the process could take a year.
“It will take some time to determine the cause. Let there be a thorough investigation. Our priority now is safety. It looks under control so far,” he said, adding that those affected would be given financial assistance in the interim.
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