Unsupervised rubbish burning led to Brickfields fire

Last Updated on Friday, 20 January 2012 21:07 Friday, 20 January 2012 21:02

KUALA LUMPUR: Negligence is said to be the cause of the fire which razed a building under construction near KL Sentral in Brickfields.

City Fire and Rescue Department director Khirudin Drahman said the fire was believed to have spread due to burning of rubbish by several construction workers before it engulfed the top floors of the building.

“The night before, rubbish was burnt but none of them bothered to monitor the fire.

“As a result, strong winds blew the embers which led to the unsupervised flames sparking an inferno,” he said yesterday.

Khirudin said the department had issued a stop-work order and sealed the site for up to three weeks.

“The lack of fire fighting facilities in the construction industry is a grave concern.

“We will decide if action should be taken against the developer once a detailed report is completed next week,” he said.

Khirudin said the fire could have been doused within a short time if the building’s fire fighting facilities were fully functioning.

The building’s wet riser system which channels water up high-rise buildings was not working at all.

“The pipes were in place until the 25th floor but there was no landing valve (connector) to fix the hoses on all floors.

“We had to fix four hoses together and drag them from the ground floor all the way up to the top,” he said, adding that the process delayed them by an hour before they could effectively battle the flames.

Khirudin said the building developer and management representatives had been informed of the decision.

Wednesday’s fire caused massive traffic jams in various parts of the city lasting up to six hours as Jalan Tun Sambanthan had to be closed. The 38-storey building was scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.

From The Star