A major blaze at a gas pipeline operated by state energy firm Petronas has left more than 100 people injured in Malaysia on Tuesday, authorities said, with efforts ongoing to control the fire and evacuate residents.
A total of 112 people have been affected by the gas pipeline fire in Putra Heights this morning, police confirmed.
The fire erupted in a Malaysian suburb outside Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday morning due to a “gas pipeline leak stretching approximately 500m”, the fire department said.
The towering inferno near a gas station in Putra Heights in central Selangor state was visible for kilometres. National oil company Petronas said in a statement that the fire broke out at one of its gas pipeline at 8.10am.
It said in a brief statement that the affected pipeline has been isolated. Three gas stations nearby the fire site were not affected but have been temporarily closed as a precautionary measure, Petronas said, adding that investigations are still underway.
The fire department said the firm had closed off the valve on the 500m (1,640ft) long pipeline and 49 houses in the area had been affected.
The fire started on Tuesday morning with a towering orange blaze on the horizon and a large plume of smoke above.A Reuters journalist located about 5km (3 miles) away from the blaze said the intensity of the fire had reduced by early afternoon but a flame and billowing smoke could still be seen.
Ambulances were seen rushing towards the area of the fire, which had been sealed off by authorities. No deaths were reported but the full extent of the injuries or damage so far was not immediately clear.
“When I woke up, I saw the fire raging, with an extraordinary sound. I have never experienced a fire with this kind of sound. The sound was terrifying. It felt like a jet engine was next to me,” said Nizam Mohamad Asnizam, 49, who lives 100m from the site of the fire. He told AFP news agency that he was forced to flee his house with his family in his car after the fire erupted.
He added: “Stepping on the floor was like stepping on a hot wok. The heat was like putting your head in an oven, it felt like I was burning.”
The Selangor Disaster Management unit said in a statement that the blaze spread to several houses in a nearby village, and efforts were efforts being made to rescue trapped residents. It added that several people suffered burns and will be taken for treatment, but the extent of the full damage is being assessed, and said that the valve to the pipeline has been shut, and that will eventually snuff out the fire.
Dozens of Selangor firefighters have been dispatched to the scene. Selangor chief minister Amirudin Shari said on Facebook that the fire department has quickly evacuated residents from nearby homes as a safety measure. He said they will be temporarily placed in a mosque nearby until the situation is under control.
Pictures and videos of the fireball went viral on social media, with some residents saying they felt the doors and windows of their homes shaking believed to be due to the fire explosion earlier.
Lee Weng Ken, who suffered burns to his left leg, told Bernama he as 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.”
The government has reportedly set up relief centres at two local mosques.
Additional inputs from wires
Eid al-Fitr: Why do Muslims celebrate it and how can you wish someone a Happy Eid?
China-bound AirAsia flight returns to Kuala Lumpur after engine fire
Survivors pulled from rubble 60 hours after Myanmar earthquake
Before and after satellite images show extent of damage in wake of Myanmar earthquake
Myanmar death toll nears 3,000 amid signs of life in ruins of Bangkok skyscraper
Why experts can’t predict quakes and what to do if you’re in one
