WATCH: Fireworks Disposal Site Blaze In Sentul Leaves Three Men Injured, 50 Vehicles Torched

By Lara Kramer  •  27 Apr 2022 in News

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Yesterday, a fire broke out inside a police evidence storage yard in Sentul, alleged to be storing confiscated prohibited items such as fireworks, with eyewitnesses reporting blasts from one of the compound’s buildings.

Heavy smoke billowed from the building’s surroundings, as shown by clips circulating online.

Over RM4.17 million in fireworks were confiscated in early April. Sentul authorities had permitted members of the press to be present at the yard to witness the disposal of the pyrotechnics.

The scene was verified by Sentul police chief Assistant Commissioner Beh Eng Lai, who stated that three individuals suffered minor torso damage.

Beh later indicated in a brief media release that the routine operational procedures for disposing of seized illicit goods were in compliance with the Court Order.

“To inform,” he explained, “the confiscated materials were discarded by compressing them with a steamroller and immersing them in water before being buried.”

The department’s Pusat Gerakan Operasi Kuala Lumpur (PGOKL) said in a statement that it got an emergency alert at 6.22 p.m. about a fire at the Sentul police headquarters’ storage facility for confiscated belongings.

The ops team from the Sentul fire station was dispatched, with assistance from the Hang Tuah, Titiwangsa, Jalan Tun Razak, and Wangsa Maju fire departments, according to PGOKL.

Three fire rescue tender trucks, three water tankers, one aerial ladder platform, as well as two Emergency Medical Rescue Service vehicles were directed to the incident, along with 60 personnel.

Assistant Fire Superintendent Ahmad Daniel Ahmad Kamal, senior operations commander, told reporters that fire and rescue team arrived on scene at 6.32 p.m.

The storage capacity measured 100 by 50 square feet, with 30% of the structure consumed by the fire and 80% of the open area also compromised, leaving 50 automobiles severely torched.

He subsequently confirmed that three adult victims were taken to Hospital Kuala Lumpur.

Additionally, PGOKL explained that the fire and rescue staff utilized offensive firefighting by entering the building, and defensive firefighting by extinguishing from the exterior of the building to put out the fire.

“At 7.04pm, the fire and rescue team successfully brought the fire under control,” they said.

In a Facebook post, published at 7.44pm, Batu MP P Prabakaran wrote that the blaze began at 6.15 p.m., and the explosion was triggered by the highly-flammable confiscated fireworks stored at the police station.

The series of explosions damaged the ceiling and windows of multiple houses and a Sikh school nearby, according to Prabakaran.

“The fire involved an evidence storage area. It destroyed 30% of the compound building structure and 80% of the open space outside,” he reported.

Around 7.02 p.m., the blaze was finally extinguished thanks to the combined efforts of five different Fire and Rescue Departments.

The three men are the only casualties reported from the tragedy so far, and the source of the fire remains unknown.

Just two years ago, a massive fire broke out at an auto parts shop in Segambut, which produced thick clouds of smoke that were visible from Sentul. Almost 90% of the shop was set ablaze in the incident.