SERDANG, July 24 — A forensics investigation into the cause of the massive Selangor Wholesale Market fire will take about 14 days once the site is declared safe for entry, said Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) assistant director (operations) Ashrul Riezal Asbar.
He said the building is still under the JBPM Operations Division’s control and hasn’t been handed over to the forensics team as inspections and safety evaluations are still underway.
“The investigation will only start once the site is declared safe for the forensics team’s entry,” he told reporters after the fire was extinguished at the wholesale market here today.
Ashrul Riezal said his team hasn’t been able to confirm whether there were casualties, as a full sweep for victims potentially trapped under the rubble can only be done after the debris is cleared.
At 10.50pm yesterday, a massive blaze ripped through the wholesale market, believed to have started in a metalworks store before spreading to nearby bedding shops.
It took 68 firefighters from 15 Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya stations, 11 volunteer firefighting squads, and police teams to extinguish the inferno.
