EPF fire caused by spark that ignited flammable cladding panels

PETALING JAYA: The fire at the EPF building on Jalan Gasing was caused by a spark that ignited a flammable cladding panel used on the building’s exterior, said Datuk Soiman Jahid.

The Fire and Rescue Services Department deputy director-general said the fire started on the first floor of the six-floor building, where maintenance work was being carried out on the exterior of the building.

Confirming that this is the first fire involving flammable cladding panels in the country, Soiman said the incident is similar to the Grenfell, London fire.

“Initial investigations revealed that due to the spark and the cladding used as well as the hot weather and strong wind, the fire spread to other parts of the building’s exterior," he said

“All 527 workers were evacuated safely,” he added when speaking to reporters at the scene of the fire.

Soiman said that the Uniform Building By-Laws requires buildings to be fitted with non-flammable cladding panels, adding that using highly flammable ones is a clear infringement of the law.

“A total of 70 firemen were deployed to the scene and we managed to put out the fire completely within 30 minutes,” he said adding that the department received the call on the fire at 11.52am and arrived on scene six minutes later.