This morning (7th March), an escalator at the Ampang Park LRT station caught fire. According to the City Fire and Rescue Department, it occurred around 5:16am.
Accidents happen, as much as we hope they don’t. The most we can hope for is that no one gets hurt, or at least, too badly injured. Thankfully, there were no casualties.
Dang Wangi OCPD Asst Comm Noor Dellhan Yahaya shared that the police had been notified after smoke was seen from the station. Police arrived 12 minutes after receiving the report and firefighters arrived shortly after to bring the fire under control.
A total of 15 people were dispatched to deal with the fire. However the damage to the escalators were still severe. Both the escalators heading up and down were caught in flames. From the photos released, the metal has been severely warped and some of the steps have melted away.
“The fire spread from the escalator to the ceiling,” the City Fire and Rescue Department stated. “The cause is still being investigated.” However, they suspect there was a short circuit at one of the control panels. For now, the escalator has been closed to the public.
Hopefully the authorities can get the escalators repaired soon. For now, people will likely have to stick to climbing the stairs or using the elevator. Well, at least there are alternatives!
Sources: China Press, YouTube, The Star
