Left distraught: Residents gathering outside Putra Harmoni in Putra Heights. — GLENN GUAN/The Star
SUBANG JAYA: Electrical wires as well as parts of cars and motorcycles were melted, water pipes were twisted, ceilings had collapsed, and dust and soot were over everything.
These were the sights that met the residents of Putra Heights when they got a chance to return to their homes to collect essential items and documents, a day after the gas pipeline fire.
After a 24-hour wait, lawyer Foo Yoke Sun was lost for words when he finally got to see his damaged house.
“It’s bad. The exterior of the house and my car are damaged,” said the 52-year-old.
“Our car’s side mirror melted. The porch, pipes and drainage are also damaged. Some parts of the ceiling in the hall and one of the rooms collapsed,” said Foo, who was allowed in for about 30 minutes.
“The control panel of the autogate and washing machine are completely melted.”
Delivery rider Jasni Abdul Manap, 47, was devastated as his new Yamaha Y15ZR motorcycle was reduced to ashes before he could even pay his first instalment.
“Three motorcycles, household items, and even my child’s laptop – which was only bought two months ago – were all destroyed in the blaze,” he told Bernama.
Nor Azimah Nordin, in her 50s, said parts of her car had melted and her windows were broken.
“The ceiling of the living room collapsed. But, it is not as bad as what others faced,” she said.
Nor Azimah, who has six pets – five cats and a corn snake, had told her son to brace for the worst when he returned to check their home.
“But my cats and snake were alive. I didn’t expect them to survive,” she said.
Another resident, who wanted to be known only as Kumar, said half of his ceiling collapsed with the exterior of his cars having a brown coat due to the dust and sand from the fire.
“Our external wiring panel melted and we didn’t dare touch it,” he said.
“I’m not sure how much the repairs will cost. I don’t even know who to contact for the works.”
The fire on Tuesday was a terrifying situation for the residents, many of whom panicked and fled with just the clothes on their backs to seek shelter by the nearby riverbank, where they could withstand the intense heat.
“I saw the sky turn orange,” said Shahril Mohamad, 50.
“I was alone at home and didn’t have time to grab anything – not even my mobile phone. I just ran, following my neighbours to safety.
“Later that night, I was able to return home with the police to retrieve some belongings and rescue my three cats.
“The cats were safe but the pipes had melted,” he told reporters at the Incident Command Post yesterday.
Private sector employee, Siti Fauziah Hasnan, 32, said she and several others fled to take shelter near a water source, as the intense heat caused cars and motorcycles around her home “to start melting”.
“Many of us suffered burns on our feet, as our footwear also melted,” she said.
Food seller Faizal Zakaria, 56, recalled how a table at his premises melted when a boy, about 12 years old, used it as a shield while searching for his mother.
“The boy suffered burns on his back,” he said.
