Subang Jaya inferno: Blaze reached 1,000 degrees Celsius, flames up to 30m high

KUALA LUMPUR: The Selangor Fire and Rescue Department says that as of 3.40pm on Tuesday (April 1), 190 houses have been damaged in the gas pipeline blaze at Jalan Putra Harmoni, Putra Heights, Subang Jaya.

Department director Wan Razali Wan Ismail said the fire also damaged 148 cars and 11 motorcycles.

“The flames and intense heat damaged the affected homes and vehicles,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.

He added that cleaning and thorough inspection efforts are currently in progress.

Meanwhile, director-general Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad said that flames reached an 30m height, with temperatures reaching 1,000° Celsius.

He reported that by 1.55pm, the fire had diminished, significantly reducing the affected radius.

Meanwhile, checks by Bernam showed over 50 houses in Kampung Tengah, Kampung Kenangan and Kampung Sungai Baru here were damaged by the gas pipeline explosion and subsequent fire.

Kampung Tengah and Kampung Sungai Baru – located just around 200m from the fire – revealed many of the bungalows and double storey terrace houses were nearly completely consumed, while others were rendered uninhabitable due to fire damage.

Doors, floors and even aluminium ceilings were not spared, while vehicles, such as cars, motorcycles and school buses destroyed by the intensity of the blaze.

Residents likened explosion along Jalan Harmoni Putra Heights, Subang Jaya, Selangor to an earthquake, and many of them were still shaken to the core by the blast and chaos that ensued.

Efforts to put out the fire are still underway and rescue operations are still being conducted. – Bernama