PETALING JAYA: Harban Singh was on his usual morning jog when he was almost thrown off his feet.
The 70-year-old man was shocked as a towering mushroom cloud of fire shot into the sky with a deafening explosion.
The towering inferno at Putra Heights was visible from kilometres away.
According to Harban, he saw the fire just after 8am when he was jogging at Putra Heights, where he is currently looking after his sister’s house.
“I was shocked because it was a monster fire,” he added.
Harban, a USJ9 resident, said the size of the inferno reduced slightly later in the day.
According to him, some houses and cars near the fire were burnt.
“Some house windows and car windows were cracked, and even broken. Many people fled from their houses as they were afraid,” said Harban.
Retiree Tan Sri Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir said he heard the explosions, after which residents immediately evacuated from their houses as the heat was too intense.
Syed Zainal, the chairman of a mosque here, is now working with the local community to provide shelter for fire victims.
“The explosion happened at 8.12am and after that, people were just evacuating because the heat was too strong,” said Syed Zainal.
“Many people are away because of the Hari Raya holidays.
“We are working with the community to make sure we can do whatever we can to help,” he said.
Syed Zainal, the former non-independent and non-executive director at PETRONAS Dagangan Bhd, said he had worked on the gas pipeline project between 1989 and 1992.
“I was the project engineer for this pipeline, so I was monitoring it,” he said.
He said the pipe was about 2m underground.
However, the blast blew a crater around it, exposing the pipe.
“The gas will have to run out before the situation can be assessed,” added Syed Zainal.
Resident Kow Swee Mun said his friend’s car was struck by debris near the Putra Heights toll plaza, some 5km away from the fire.
“His car was filled with sand and he was shocked,” Kow said.
The Star photographer Samuel Ong was at Kampung Seri Aman, about 1km from the scene of the fire.
“It was very hot. Even though I was standing on the opposite side of the river, I could still feel the heat,” he said.
Another resident, who only wanted to be known as Andy, said the explosions woke him up; he quickly left his house soon after that.
“I took my family and we drove out immediately. I’m not sure what time we can return home,” he said before leaving.
“We saw many other residents leaving the area too.”
A worker at a Hindu temple nearby, who only wanted to be known as Siva, said he rushed to the scene to save victims trapped inside their homes.
“I broke a few doors, but it was necessary as it involved lives,” said Siva, adding that he saved several cats and dogs from houses too.
