A fire triggered by a burst gas pipe near Kuala Lumpur injured more than 100 people on Tuesday, causing significant damage and sending a massive fireball into the sky. The blaze, visible for miles, occurred near a gas station in Putra Heights, just outside Malaysia’s largest city. The fire lasted several hours and broke out during the second day of Eid, a public holiday in Malaysia.
Petronas, the national oil company, confirmed the fire began at one of its gas pipelines at 8:10 a.m. and was later isolated. Disaster management officials reported that shutting the pipeline’s valves would eventually extinguish the fire.
The flames, which reached up to 20 stories high at their peak, became small enough by 2:45 p.m. for firefighters to approach, according to the Selangor state fire department.
At least 49 homes were damaged in the fire, and 112 people were injured. Sixty-three of the injured were hospitalized with burns, breathing problems, and other injuries, Selangor Deputy Police Chief Mohamad Zaini Abu Hassan told the Bernama news agency.
Selangor Chief Minister Amirudin Shari said nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution. Affected residents were temporarily moved to nearby mosques for safety.
The incident, which caused widespread panic, was captured in photos and videos that spread quickly on social media. Some residents reported feeling strong tremors as their windows and doors shook.
One of the victims, Lee Weng Ken, suffered burns to his left leg and recalled how the ceiling of his house collapsed, crushing his car. “I rushed out of my house but fell and suffered burns from the heat,” he said.
Another victim, identified only as Andy, said he and his children fled their home when they felt tremors and saw the fire about 100 meters away. “I only managed to get the car out. My daughter hurt her foot while climbing the fence to escape,” he said.
In response to the incident, Petronas shut down three nearby gas stations as a safety measure, although they were not directly affected. Investigations into the cause of the fire are still ongoing.
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