KUALA LUMPUR: On the sixth day of operations at the site of the gas pipeline fire in Putra Heights, Subang Jaya, the main focus is on draining the rainwater that has accumulated in the crater caused by the explosion.
Subang Jaya police chief ACP Wan Azlan Wan Mamat said the draining is critical to enabling safety assessment work to resume.
“This morning, our focus remains on the fire crater as there is still a large volume of water that needs to be pumped out before we can proceed with the usual safety evaluations,” he told Bernama.
Meanwhile, Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan is expected to hold a press conference at 4 pm today at the site command post in Putra Heights, Subang Jaya.
Yesterday, Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad said the final safety assessment at the crater site was expected to be completed today.
Nor Hisham said the findings on the fire crater would be presented to the Selangor State Disaster Management Committee soon.
The Petronas gas pipeline fire, which broke out at 8.10 am last Tuesday, saw flames soaring over 30 metres with temperatures reaching 1,000 degrees Celsius. It took nearly eight hours to fully extinguish the blaze.
A total of 87 homes were completely destroyed and rendered uninhabitable, while 148 other homes were damaged but deemed to be still livable after repairs.
As of yesterday, 509 families had registered at the temporary relief centre, while some victims are staying elsewhere.
The number is expected to increase as some residents were away during the incident on the second day of Hari Raya.
Those who have yet to register are advised to do so to ensure they are not left out from receiving assistance. Registration will close at noon today.
