Police: Ex-husband’s temper sparked car park fire

Some of the cars which were destroyed in the fire at the car park.

PETALING JAYA: A man’s fiery temper got the better of him when he threw a bottle of petrol at his wife’s car and set it ablaze.

The man, who is going through a divorce, showed up at the car park near the Taman Jaya LRT, where the woman’s boyfriend was working, at 1.30pm on Monday only to see him getting into his wife’s car.

Petaling Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Zani Che Din said the boyfriend, 20, was walking to the car when the ex-husband showed up on a motorcycle and approached him.

“The boyfriend realised that the man was about to throw the bottle at the woman’s car which had the door open, as she was cleaning up the inside.

“Thankfully, the woman managed to jump out before the flames engulfed the car,” he said when contacted.

The ex-husband quickly fled the scene, leaving behind his slippers and helmet.

“The fire quickly spread to five other nearby cars and grew too big for the few people around there to put out,” he said, adding that three loud explosions were also heard.

Police are currently looking for the man.

The explosions initially sparked rumours that a bomb had been set off and pictures of the fire went viral on WhatsApp.

Police later refuted the rumours, making it clear that there was no bomb.

“There was no bomb explosion. @PDRMsia is investigating a case of mischief by fire,” Inspector-General of police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar tweeted, adding that someone had set a car ablaze at the parking lot.

A spokesman for the Fire and Rescue Department said firemen arrived at the scene a few minutes after receiving a distress call from an eyewitness.

“We took about half an hour to extinguish the flames.”

“Four cars were badly damaged while two others were about 20% burnt,” he said.