A fire broke out in the Southern Industrial and Logistics Cluster (SILC) area in Iskandar Puteri, Johor at 11.30am on Thursday (10 Oct).
Four structures were engulfed in the fire, and several explosions were reportedly heard, reported Malaysian news outlet Oriental Daily News. One of the factories involved was a chemical storage factory.
Three employees were injured following the inferno and were immediately sent to a hospital.
Passers-by at the scene captured alarming sights of the blaze and shared them on social media, with one Facebook video showing thick black smoke billowing into the air.
Two men could also be seen walking away from the site, seemingly with burn wounds on their bodies.
Some netizens reported a strong chemical odour at the scene, while others claimed that “chemical rain” fell in the area.
According to a statement from the Johor Fire and Rescue Department, 46 firefighters from six stations were deployed to combat the fire.
The New Straits Times reported that the injured men were conveyed to Sultanah Aminah Hospital before emergency responders arrived.
According to The Star, one logistics warehouse was 80% damaged while the three other factories belonging to a chemical company were 90% burnt.
Three employees, Bangladeshi nationals, sustained first-degree burns covering 30% of their bodies. Meanwhile, six other workers were unharmed.
Source: Sin Chew Daily News
Based on a report from Oriental Daily News, Mohammad Faiz, the chief of the Iskandar Puteri Fire Department, told Harian Metro that one of the affected units was a warehouse containing chemicals such as thinners, which led to significant explosions.
The chemical warehouse primarily stored petrochemical products, solvents, monomers, plastic resins, lubricating oils, fuel oils, polyols, and distillate oils.
Since the inferno, local authorities have released a public health advisory urging residents to wear protective face masks as a precaution against inhaling harmful chemicals.
They should also remain indoors, cover their skin when outside, and ensure all doors and windows are sealed.
Firefighters successfully extinguished the fire by around 7pm on Thursday (10 Oct). Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.
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Featured image adapted from 马来西亚新闻 on Facebook and Sin Chew Daily News.
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