KULAI: Seven schools involving over 6,000 pupils have been ordered to close temporarily as 80 pupils displayed symptoms such as eye irritation, headaches and cough following the fire at a storage warehouse in Sengkang here.
Johor health and environment committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said the Kulai Health office received reports of pupils feeling unwell after the Tuesday afternoon fire.
“As of today (yesterday), 56 pupils from SK Taman Kota Kulai displayed mild symptoms such as cough, headache, eye irritation and shortness of breath, while SK Taman Kota Kulai 2 recorded 24 pupils with symptoms.
“All those affected have received medical attention and no one has been admitted to hospital,” he said in a statement yesterday.
He urged those with symptoms such as prolonged headache, deep cough, eye irritation and breathing difficulties to seek immediate medical attention.
Ling said the Department of Environment also found the air quality near the burning rubber and plastics storage warehouse within the normal range.
“As a precautionary measure, two pieces of equipment have been placed at SJK(C) Sengkang and SJK(C) Kulai Besar to get a more detailed and consistent reading of the air quality.
“Despite the normal readings, we will continue to monitor the situation as firefighting efforts push on,” he said.
Meanwhile, Johor education and information committee chairman Aznan Tamin said two more schools have been instructed to close temporarily yesterday, bringing the total to seven.
He said SMK Kota Kulai and SMK Taman Putri were the latest schools to be ordered close by the Kulai Education office.
SJK(C) Sengkang, SJK(C) Kulai Besar, SK Taman Kota Kulai, Sekolah Agama Taman Kota Kulai and SK Taman Kota Kulai 2 were ordered to close on Wednesday after the warehouse fire was reported at 4.37pm on Tuesday.
“All classes have been moved online via the Home-based Teaching and Learning for the time being.
“I advise everyone to follow the guidelines and instructions issued by the authorities to safeguard the well-being of our children and teaching staff,” Aznan said.
The Johor Fire and Rescue Department stated that over 90% of the blaze had been put out as of 12.30pm on Thursday.
“The firefighting efforts were divided into three areas, where we used different water sources to extinguish the flames.
“Four excavators were also on site to dig up the debris for water to reach tight spots to eliminate the fire,” it said in a statement.
The operation, which is entering its fourth day today, involved 34 firefighters and supporting assets.
