PETALING JAYA: Nine Indonesians were on a routine maintenance job at the top of the billboard when disaster hit.
The LED electronic billboard, near the Catholic High School along the Federal Highway, caught fire, leaving them trapped.
A short circuit at the base of the electronic billboard is believed to have sparked the fire, which quickly spread to the top where the workers were.
“We were stuck on top of the billboard when the fire broke out. I thought I would not survive. There was smoke everywhere,” said one of the workers afterwards. Luckily, the wind blew the smoke away from us, and that gave us a chance to climb down.”
Even then, it was only after the firefighters arrived at the scene that the victims safely descended from one of the billboard poles at 1.50pm.
Covered in soot and sweat after the ordeal, they were visibility disturbed by their experience.
Ambulances with paramedics swiftly arrived at the scene.
The victims were sent to University Malaya Medical Centre for treatment; one suffered arm injuries while the others had minor burns on their hands and feet.
All of them were clad in T-shirts and jeans, without any safety equipment.
As the fire raged, pieces of the billboard were falling off and the thick black smoke could be seen from a distance.
The fire was only completely put out after 3pm, causing a traffic jam on the highway.
Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (Operations) Ahmad Mukhlis Mokhtar said a distress call was received at 1.15pm.
A total of 17 firefighters were deployed to the scene.
“The fire saw nine victims, and all have been successfully saved and handed over to medical officers for further action. The operation was concluded at 3.45pm,” he said in a statement.
