KUALA LUMPUR: Several victims of the gas pipeline explosion and fire incident in Putra Heights are now in the final phase of preparations to move out of the Putra Heights Mosque Temporary Evacuation Centre (PPS) to other settlements.
The PPS, which is expected to close this Sunday, has seen residents begin preparing to move to temporary settlements, including rental houses and Airbnb units with government assistance.
Among them is Fazreen Azizan, 34, who has registered for a month’s accommodation assistance through the Airbnb which opened a special counter at the PPS since yesterday.
“We were given the flexibility to choose the Airbnb accommodation we want to stay in at a cost of RM7,100 per month or RM230 per night. So when the PPS closes this Sunday, my husband and I as well as our five children will continue to move to a house around Subang,“ she said when met by Bernama at the Putra Heights Mosque Hall PPS near here, today.
Fazreen said after the one-month period is over, they will have to find another rental house since their original rental house in Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru was completely destroyed in the fire.
“Even if the house is repaired, it will take more than six months,” she said.
Fazreen said her family did not want to move to the Seri Suria Apartment, Kota Warisan, Sepang offered by the state government because the location is far and makes it difficult for her children to go to school.
When visiting her rented house that burned down on Tuesday, she found that all her belongings, including her car, were burnt to the ground, causing losses estimated at RM80,000.
Another victim, Roseniza Bidin, 56, who is self-employed, said she had started looking for a rental house in Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru in preparation to move out of the PPS.
“Our family of four chose to look for a rental house early so as not to have to worry about moving several times, since the Airbnb accommodation assistance is only for a month,” she said.
She added that the decision was also influenced by the need to care for their eight pet cats who also needed suitable accommodation.
Meanwhile, Mohd Fazly Nordin, 40, said he was not ready to move because his house, which was 60 per cent damaged, would take two to three months to repair.
“So far, I have not registered for Airbnb. If I can later, I will try to find a house around this area because the children are schooling here,” he said.
Mohd Fazly also expressed gratitude that the fire brigade’s quick action prevented his house from being completely destroyed.
“Only the roof of the house collapsed. Thankfully, the main structure of the house that I inherited from my late father is still intact,” he said after visiting his house last Friday.
The gas pipeline fire that occurred at 8.10 am on April 1 caused a fire to burn more than 30 metres high with temperatures reaching 1,000 degrees Celsius before it was completely extinguished almost eight hours later.
