SUBANG: The gas pipeline explosion in Jalan Putra Harmoni, Putra Heights, here, this morning left residents struggling to comprehend the devastation in their neighbourhood.
The initial blast sent tremors through the surrounding area, triggering loud blasts and a continuous inferno that left residents in shock.
Residents, here, were left shaken, with some initially mistaking the tremors for an earthquake.
USJ 20 resident Nur Haziqah Qisitina, 23, said she had woken after her family had gone into panic as her brother felt vibrations following the initial explosion.
“I don’t live near the site of the incident, but the noise was deafening. It had a ringing sound to it. I was asleep when it happened, so I didn’t feel much, but my brother woke up to a deep rumbling and slight tremors,” she told theSun when met near the site of the incident.
When she first took a peek outside her home, she was stunned by the scale of the fire.
“At first, I thought it was just a house or a tree on fire. But when I stepped outside, I realised how massive it was. The flames were as tall as a building, and the sky glowed in an eerie orange. It felt like something out of a nightmare,” she said.
Minutes later, she heard a series of sharp explosions.
“That was around 8:30am. By then, the entire neighbourhood was outside, watching. The fire had grown even bigger, and the smoke wasn’t just black—it had a menacing glow. It felt unreal,“ she added.
Sriganesh Senderam, 36, a businessman living 2.5km away from the blast site, said he never expected to feel the explosion from such a distance.
“Despite being quite far, we still felt the impact,” he said, describing how his home shook for nearly half an hour.
“The sliding door and main door rattled continuously. The explosion was so intense that when we looked outside, we saw fire in a mushroom shape, with thick and heavy smoke rising into the sky,” he added.
At first, he and his family believed they were experiencing an earthquake.
“We rushed to look outside from our double-storey house and saw the fire and smoke spreading fast. This has never happened before, it was completely new and terrifying,” he said.
Selangor deputy police chief DCP Mohd Zaini Abu Hassan said a total of 112 individuals and 49 houses were impacted by the gas pipeline fire, caused by a leak.
“The 112 injured victims involved residents of Taman Harmoni and Kampung Kuala Kuala Sungai Baharu.
“Among them, 63 individuals were transported to Cyberjaya, Serdang, and Putrajaya Hospitals for further treatment, due to burns, respiratory issues, and other injuries.
“The remaining 49 victims received initial treatment at the Sri Maha Kaliamman temple, in Subang Jaya,” he said in a press conference at the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) and Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) Special Operations Centre.
Mohd Zaini also said that two temporary evacuation centres have been set up, at the Nurul Iman Mosque and the Putra Heights Mosque, to shelter the affected victims.
Selangor Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) director Wan Razali Wan Ismail said the explosion involved a gas pipeline leak spanning 500m.
He said seven victims, including two Malaysians, were rescued from the scene.
“Due to the explosion occurring near a housing area, evacuation operations were carried out to ensure residents’ safety,“ he said.
A total of 78 firefighters and emergency response teams were deployed.
While Petronas has shut the burning pipeline’s valve, Wan Razali noted that the exact closure point has yet to be determined.
“The fire has affected several nearby houses, posing a risk to residents. Firefighting operations are ongoing, and we will provide updates as more information becomes available,” he added.
