PUTRAJAYA, April 1 — "Firstly, I remember the sound of firecrackers; shortly after that, there was a loud bang like a plane crashing," said a victim of the gas pipeline fire along Jalan Putra Harmoni in Putra Heights, Subang Jaya.
A petty trader who only wanted to be identified as Ahmad Daniel, 25, said he and his wife Ellyna Nadiawati, 41, managed to escape but were unable to save any personal belongings, including important documents.
Speaking to Bernama, he said he initially thought the explosion was from firecrackers in conjunction with the Aidilfitri celebration, but soon after, he began to feel strong tremors from inside the house.
"I bolted the window, looked around and saw there was fire and called my father in the village to tell him the house was on fire.
"I also immediately woke up my wife and sister before we quickly left the house, which was engulfed in flames," Ahmad said at the Putrajaya Hospital after receiving treatment for his injuries.
He suffered burns on his hands and body after being hit by the hot doorknob and the metal of his motorcycle, which almost melted.
"I wanted to open the door, but as soon as I held the knob it felt hot. When I tried to save my motorcycle, I felt my skin sticking to the hot metal, and it hurt even to pull away," Ahmad said, showing the wounds on his hands.
The trader and his family, who are currently being housed at the temporary evacuation centre in Masjid Putra Heights' Multipurpose Hall, hopes a detailed investigation will be carried out to identify the cause of the incident.
"We hope that someone is found responsible because many people were affected," he said.
— Bernama
