Kuala Lumpur:
A massive explosion was triggered on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday after a gas pipeline operated by Malaysia’s state energy firm Petronas caught fire, prompting authorities to order evacuations from nearby residential areas. As many as 33 people were injured in the blaze, six of whom were hospitalised, the fire department said.
So far, no casualties have been reported, and the operations to try to tackle the blaze are underway, Selangor state fire officials said in a statement.
Videos of the incident were widely shared on social media, which show a fiery mushroom cloud billowing into the sky followed by a plume of smoke.
BREAKING: Massive gas pipeline fire in Putra Heights, Malaysia triggers a mushroom-shaped explosion, sparking evacuations near a residential area. pic.twitter.com/ipPc7fAPWC
— YJA🇺🇸🥎 (@Yzo57) April 1, 2025
The inferno, which was visible kilometres away, was caused by “a gas pipeline leak stretching approximately 500 metres (1,600 feet)”, according to the statement.
The valve to the affected pipeline belonging to Malaysia’s state-run oil firm Petronas has been shut off, the statement added.
The Fire Department received a distress call about the explosion at around 8:10 am, according to local media reports.
“Dozens of firefighters were immediately rushed for rescue operations. The team identified a burst pipeline as the cause of the fire,” The Star newspaper reported, quoting fire department director Wan Mohamad Razali Wan Ismail.
Reports also said that several homes have caught fire in the accident, and some individuals were trapped inside the flames, however, the exact number is not clear.
The inferno forced people from their homes during Eid celebrations as it towered over residential districts near Kuala Lumpur in Muslim-majority Malaysia. The fire department said it was still investigating the extent of the fire in the residential area.
“All of a sudden, we heard a loud bang and then total chaos,” a resident living 200 metres (650 feet) away from the fire was quoted as saying by The Star newspaper.
“We immediately left the house and soon saw other residents leaving too.”