PETALING JAYA, Apr 1 — It was slightly past 8am when Masri Ariffin and his family ran for their lives from the gas pipeline fire in Putra Heights.
They were minutes away from getting their skin scorched from the blaze.
“My wife woke up first, and she saw that there was a bright light outside our house.
“We could feel strong vibrations, even the sand on the ground was vibrating.
“The heat was so intense that we knew if we didn’t run that’s the end of us,” Masri told Malay Mail when contacted hours after he fled his house in Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru.
Masri, his family, and two sisters — both who live in the vicinity — have houses located approximately 600 metres from the location of the fire.
“We couldn’t exit our house from the front, it was just too hot.
“We had to run from the back of our house and made our way to a nearby river.
“We cooled down in the river because our bodies were heating up from the tremendous heat,” he said.
One of his sisters, was recovering from a post-operation injury, but she too ran for her life.
“My sister just did an operation on her ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and recovering but she had to run too.
“She is in the hospital now,” he added.
It was only three hours later that they managed to slowly make their way to the nearest temporary relief centre, Masri said, as the heat was unbearable.
“Anyone who stayed back would not have made it, parts of my car melted and the PVC wires in the house as well.
“We had to take shelter in the nearby river as it was the safest there, and it was too hot everywhere, so the river kept us cool.
“We stayed there for three hours, until the heat slightly died down and then made our through the shrubs that we had to clear along the way,” he said.
Scorching heat
Hours after the fire broke, the heat continued to melt down objects including car parts and some parts of his house.
“The bumper of my car melted, basically the parts that are not made from metal have melted.
“One of my nephews wanted to try to save his car, he managed but as he was driving out, he saw his car side mirrors melting away,” said Masri as he expressed horror in his voice.
He added that some residents who left slightly later, were injured including a toddler whose mother was trying to flee from their home.
“The mother was carrying her young toddler and the toddler’s skin was scorched from the heat.
“The heat was really so great that pets that were not kept in the house died on the spot.
“My sister’s seven cats all died an instant death from the heat,” he said.
For now, he is taking shelter at a relative’s house in Subang Jaya but he is unsure of when they can return home.
“The houses that are closer to the fire, it looks like they are all wiped out. Our houses are made from wood, if the terrace houses are affected what more us?
“I don’t know the extent of the damage for my house but I really do hope that the relevant parties will fork out compensation for loss of property and emotional stress that was caused by their carelessness,” he added.
Met separately in the vicinity of the site, some residents were seen gathered outside of the Maple Leaf Kingsley International School, with some trying to catch a glimpse of the fire site, catching their breath from the fire scare.
A resident who requested anonymity said although he lives 1.5km away from the site, he could hear the explosion in the morning, followed by strong vibrations.
“We didn’t think it was anything this serious because it sounded like firecrackers.
“But the vibrations were quite strong and then we knew something wasn’t right.
“Even the glass windows of the international school shattered from the impact of the explosion, and leaves turned brown here,” the Alam Megah resident said.
He added that they are still worried there will be another explosion and are hopeful that the relevant parties carry out fixes so that residents can feel safe again to return to their homes.
Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) has confirmed that a fire broke out at Petronas Gas Bhd’s (PGB) main pipeline near Putra Heights, Puchong, Selangor, at 8.10am today.
