PUTRA HEIGHTS GAS PIPELINE FIRE: 20 AGENCIES START PROBE 24 HOURS AFTER FIRE EXTINGUISHED

KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 (Bernama) -- Within 24 hours of the gas pipeline fire at Jalan Putra Harmoni, Putra Heights, Subang Jaya - successfully extinguished at 3.45 pm yesterday -- 20 agencies arrived at the scene today to conduct investigations and assess the safety of the site.

The agencies include the Royal Malaysia Police, the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM), Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), the Public Works Department, the local government authority and the district office.

Subang Jaya police chief ACP Wan Azlan Wan Mamat, when met at the Incident Command Post, said a briefing would be held with all the agencies involved to conduct investigations and follow-up actions that needed to be taken at the scene.

He said Jalan Persiaran Harmoni was closed in stages to facilitate the movement of security forces, but will be opened in stages.

Meanwhile, the affected residents gathered at the scene as early as 7.30 am to find out the status of their homes.

Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department Director-General Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad said his department had begun several major works, including assessing the damage to houses and vehicles affected by the gas pipe explosion.

“We will work with TNB to assess the situation regarding electrical wiring, especially exposed cable...whether the wiring is safe or further action is needed to enable us to make immediate connections in the area," he said when contacted by Bernama.

Nor Hisham said the department is paying attention to the structures of houses that were burnt or affected by the explosion to ensure the safety of the residents involved and that a team has been placed on standby to deal with any possibility of a fire incident.

 He said the department was also mobilising its teams from Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur and the Headquarters to speed up the investigation process and facilitate the movement of affected residents to return to their homes as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Selangor Civil Defence Force (APM) Director Ghazali Ab Rahman said a few APM members are placed at the relief centres at the Putra Heights Mosque, which is used to accommodate residents affected by the fire, to assist the Social Welfare Department (JKM) in managing the victims.

"We have also brought in the Civil Defence Auxiliary (CDA) unit, which will be responsible for providing counselling, psychological and spiritual assistance to the victims involved.

"We are also providing transport, ready to be assigned, among others, to bring in residents who have been granted permission to temporarily return to their homes to collect personal belongings," he said when interviewed by Bernama Radio today.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek announced that 107 staff of the ministry, including teachers, were affected, with four victims still being treated in hospital.

She said the ministry is also providing psychosocial assistance to students, teachers and employees of affected educational institutions, as well as contributing RM1,000 to each of the affected employees.

Minister of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) Nga Kor Ming said that it would look into a suitable and effective mechanism to assist the fire victims in dealing with their housing problems and is prepared to discuss with stakeholders to coordinate the form of assistance for the victims.

Automobile company Cherry Malaysia expressed it willingness to provide 50  cars for the use of the fire victims for a month.

-- BERNAMA