Fire led to the removal of residents
An escape from a Malaysian pipeline caused a huge fire on Tuesday, forcing the withdrawal of residents near the capital, Kuala Lumpur, authorities said.
The huge fire near a fuel supply post in Putra Heights, Selangor (West), was visible to kilometers.
The affected infrastructure belongs to the Malaysian state oil company, which said in a statement that the fire began at 08:10 (01:10 in Lisbon).
The Selangor State Fire Department (West) reported in a statement “an escape in a pipeline that extends for approximately 500 meters, with flames reaching a considerable height.”
Seven residents, including two seniors, had to be rescued after several houses were burned and many other dwellings were evacuated.
The Selangor catastrophe management unit said in a statement that the fire spread to several houses in a nearby village, and efforts are being made to rescue the arrested residents.
The unit added that several people suffered burns and were taken for treatment, but the total extent of damages is being evaluated, and said the gas supply to the installation was cut.
Three fuel supply posts near the fire site were not affected, but were temporarily closed as a precautionary measure, Petronas said, adding that investigations are still underway.
Residents who celebrated EID, a Muslim holiday that marks the end of the sacred period of Ramadão and is observed as a public holiday in Malaysia, where Islam is the majority religion, were forced to flee the area.
“Suddenly we heard a big crash and then total chaos,” said one person who lived 200 meters from the fire, quoted by The Star.
“We immediately left the house and saw other residents leaving too,” he added.
