At about 6:30pm yesterday, 2 storeys of furniture shops were gutted after a major fire broke out near Kampung Kayu Ara.
Heavy smoke could be seen from kilometres away, causing a massive traffic delay as motorists slowed down to take a better look at the fire that occurred beside the Sprint highway leading towards Damansara and Petaling Jaya from the NKVE Damansara toll plaza. The fire could have been fatal as the shops are situated 500 metres from a petrol station.
#Fire at #BandarUtama, stay safe folks! @bandarutamaTV pic.twitter.com/xld6HZle0r
— jasonleecj (@jasonleecj) June 21, 2015
Furniture shop lots caught on fire opposite Bhp and Shell petrol station near Damansara toll. Fire brigade is here. pic.twitter.com/jQmDTlthbs
— Brandon Joshua Hon (@BrandonnJoshuaa) June 21, 2015
furniture shop in damansara is on fire 😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/7LmxSgyWh3
— FARINA (@fafafreesia) June 21, 2015
According to SS2 fire station operations chief Mustada Silongl, the fire was believed to have started from the upper level of the warehouse. The officers faced difficulties putting it out due to lack of water.
He said:
The nearest fire hydrant was too far and the pressure was not enough to get the water up to the fire. Luckily, we were able to take the water from the Petronas station next to the warehouse.
He also added that cars running over the hose also slowed fire personnel down. A total of 20 Fire and Rescue Department officers rushed to the scene at about 7.30pm and it took about one-and-a-half hour for them to douse the fire.
No casualties were reported, but a portion of the roof of the Jalan Masjid warehouse collapsed as a result. The fire also caused power outage as it fried 2 electric boxes. Residents had to run for cover as the fried electric boxes caused sparks.
Hasin Rohim, a 40-year-old Kayu Ara resident, told The Star’s Nicholas Cheng that “he was preparing to break his fast when he saw a large plum of smoke in the air”. He added, “I was shocked to see the big fire. The firemen came too late. If they were here sooner the place could have been saved“. A 52-year-old resident named Suparlan Dahlan also told him that “this was the biggest fire” he has seen, despite living there for many years. His house also experienced power outage due to the fried electric boxes.
Sources: The Rakyat Post, The Star
