Putra Heights: 'I told my wife this could explode.' These were the chilling words of a resident who had been observing excavation works near his neighbourhood days before a major gas pipeline blaze erupted in Putra Heights, Selangor, on Tuesday.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Jasbinder Singh, 53, a long-time resident of Putra Avenue, Putra Heights, and a health and safety practitioner, shared his experience of witnessing the incident. He described it not as a simple house fire, but rather as a 'chemical disaster.'
'I saw the fire from my balcony, and immediately knew it was not a house on fire. It was too large. It must be a gas pipeline,' he explained. Jasbinder, who has lived in the area for over 15 years, mentioned that he and his wife had often joked about the excavation activities near the pipeline, assuming the contractors were authorized and aware of the risks.
He recalled feeling intense heat from the fire and, despite his house being located about 300 metres from the explosion site, he feared the heat could set his home ablaze. Acting swiftly, he evacuated his wife and daughter, taking shelter at a nearby LRT station, while alerting neighbors.
'I didn't pick up anything. I just closed all windows, removed the curtains, scared they might get burned and ran,' he recounted. Jasbinder monitored his house remotely using CCTV footage and returned six hours later to collect essential documents.
He called on Petronas and Gas Malaysia to engage directly with residents living along the pipeline to explain safety protocols and provide reassurance. 'If the pipes cannot be relocated, then please give us peace of mind. We need to know what went wrong and how it will be prevented in future,' he urged.
He emphasized the importance of having well-defined evacuation plans, particularly for households like his, situated between the fire and neighboring residents. Jasbinder's concerns reflect those of many others who are reeling from the aftermath, which has disrupted the lives of Putra Heights communities.
The fire at the Petronas gas pipeline, which occurred at 8.10 am on Tuesday (April 1), saw flames soaring over 30 metres high with temperatures reaching 1,000 degrees Celsius, and it took nearly eight hours to be extinguished. A total of 87 houses have been declared as "total loss" while 148 other affected houses can be occupied after repairs.
More than 300 people were displaced and are being sheltered at two relief centres, though no fatalities were reported.