Charred remains found among factory ruins
PETALING JAYA: A late-night fire involving four factories in an industrial area in Banting ended tragically when three charred bodies were found among the ruins.
Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director Ahmad Mukhlis Mukhtar said the victims were discovered by firefighters while containing the blaze in Kampung Olak Lempit, Banting, Kuala Langat.
He said they were all found in a used oil processing warehouse that was razed and the warehouse was one of the two premises that were burned down.
Ahmad Mukhlis said the department received an urgent call about the incident late Wednesday night and a team was immediately dispatched to the scene.
“Firebreak operations were successfully conducted to prevent the blaze from spreading to adjacent factories, and at about 1.15am, the fire was also reported to have involved two additional premises, but it was successfully contained from spreading further,” he said in a statement yesterday.
According to Ahmad Mukhlis, the other two premises had minor damage.
The operation involved firefighters from the Banting Fire and Rescue Station, with assistance from stations in KLIA, Dengkil, Cyberjaya, Bangi, Petaling Jaya, Precinct 7 (Putrajaya) and Nilai, Negri Sembilan, as well as volunteer fire brigades from Sri Serdang and Rantau Panjang, the police and the Health Ministry.
Meanwhile, Pentas Flora Group, the used oil refining factory owner, said the company would fully cooperate with authorities to investigate the cause of the fire.
Its head of strategic commu-nications and corporate communications Gunaprasath Bupalan said the company is deeply saddened by the incident and apologised to the local residents for the alarm and inconvenience caused.
“We are still assessing the damage we suffered and other issues, and will provide updates soon.
“We wish to extend our sincerest gratitude to the authorities and rescue units for their unwavering commitment and the tactful manner in which they managed the situation,” he said.
Gunaprasath said the fire did not affect its scheduled waste recovery facility, machinery or any hazardous materials.
The company said it is taking the matter very seriously and that the affected area is a construction site plot of land owned by the scheduled waste management company, currently used as a parking area with plans for future conversion into a dedicated parking lot and workshop for its fleet.
