DESPITE the gas pipeline fire incident in Putra Heights that displaced 147 of his neighbours in Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru, it is business as usual for lemang seller Azizi Abdul Manan, 46.
“I have been operating my lemang stall since the fourth day of Ramadan.
“I closed on April 1, the day of the incident, but reopened the next day.
“This is because I have collected deposit for orders from customers,” he said.
Azizi’s lemang stall is the only one that is open along the main road of the village in Puchong, Selangor.
The atmosphere there is far from the celebratory one typically seen in a Malay village during Hari Raya.
The gas pipeline explosion destroyed 39 houses in the village located about 400m from the blast area.
Kampung Batu 13 village head Fiqrie Jusdean said residents from 50 houses located about 300m from the destroyed homes were also ordered to evacuate.
Fiqrie’s jurisdiction covers five villages – Kampung Kenangan, Kampung Tengah A, Kampung Tengah B, Kampung Perahu and Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru.
“As the gas pipeline was underground, the explosion caused debris of earth and stones to rain on our village.
“Everything, including houses, were covered in dust,” he said, adding that with ensuing rain, the dust had turned to mud.
However, the inconvenience of the dust and mud is nothing compared to the harrowing experience the villagers had gone through, with roofs and awnings melting under the intense heat of the fire.
Azizi recalled his friend, Mohamad Radzi Mohd Rashid, 42, and his family being trapped in their burning house.
“He and four other members of his family were trying to shelter in the bathroom.
“When the firemen rescued them, they were found with burns on their hands, legs and backs,” said Azizi, adding that he was told that a few victims were due to be discharged from hospital.
Azizi said a school bus operator in the village lost three of his vans in the fire.
He also showed screenshots of some people soaking themselves in nearby Sungai Klang to escape the scorching heat. One of them was a woman carrying her one-year-old child.
Nor Azizah Meskam, 38, one of the victims housed at the shelter in Masjid Putra Heights, said the relief centres were full on the first day so she and her family could not get in.
They eventually found space after the village head helped the relief centre identify the residents.
Azizah’s consolation is that her pet cat survived the ordeal.
Fiqrie said police blockades had been set up within a 500m radius of the houses that were destroyed.
“We are not angry, just sad that this has happened to us on the second day of Hari Raya celebrations,” he said.
He hopes the authorities will ensure compensation and repairs are carried out for the damaged houses and vehicles.
“As the 39 houses are completely destroyed, the ruins must be demolished completely and new buildings constructed in their place,” Fiqrie added.
