By Siti Rohaizah Zainal
SUBANG JAYA, April 8 — Excavation work at the gas pipeline explosion site along Jalan Putra Harmoni in Putra Heights is expected to commence tomorrow, following the completion of piling works.
Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said that soil stabilisation work in the affected area is currently underway and has reached 30 per cent completion.
“Technical agencies, including the Royal Malaysia Police, the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia, the Department of Occupational Safety and Health, the Public Works Department, and Petronas, are still in the process of stabilising the soil involving pipelines affected by the explosion and fire.
[caption id="attachment_396703" align="alignright" width="507"]
Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan speaks during a press conference on the Putra Heights gas pipeline fire at the Incident Control Post in Putra Heights, Subang Jaya, on April 8, 2025. — Picture by MOHD KHAIRUL HELMY MOHD DIN/MEDIASELANGOR[/caption]
“Currently, the soil stabilisation work is about 30 per cent complete, after which piling work will begin. Machinery has started to arrive on site, and piling is expected to begin this afternoon.
Hussein added that the preliminary investigation report into the gas pipeline explosion, initially expected within two weeks, may be completed earlier than scheduled.
“To expedite the process, we took two new steps yesterday — increasing the number of machines involved in excavation and implementing 24-hour operations.
“Relevant technical agencies, including the Department of Minerals and Geoscience and the Department of Irrigation and Drainage, are present around the clock to monitor, analyse, and investigate all aspects, including excavation work up to the section of pipe exposed to the fire.
“These two new measures may enable the investigation to be completed faster than the initially estimated two-week period. However, it is difficult to determine the exact day due to the moist ground conditions caused by clay soil and weather factors,” he said.
Last week, Hussein said the preliminary report on the investigation into the gas pipeline explosion along Jalan Putra Harmoni was expected to be completed within two weeks.
He said the report would be presented once the soil stabilisation work by various agencies at the affected site is fully completed.
The Petronas gas pipeline fire that broke out around 8.10am on April 1 sent flames more than 30 metres into the sky, with temperatures soaring to 1,000°C. It took nearly eight hours for the blaze to be fully extinguished.
The incident left 81 houses completely destroyed with structural damage exceeding 40 per cent, another 81 houses partially destroyed, 57 damaged but not burned, and 218 houses unaffected.
