On Monday (27 May) night, a fire broke out at a factory in the Dato Yunus Sulaiman industrial park in the Lima Kedai district of Johor Bahru (JB).
Firefighters arrived at the scene to battle the blaze which engulfed the entire building. Multiple explosions could be heard from the scene, including a particularly major one that rocked the area at around 11pm.
While they’ve managed to extinguish the fire, authorities are still monitoring the air quality in residential areas near the factory for possible harmful fumes.
The Star reports that the Johor Fire and Rescue Department received an alert about the blaze at the factory at around 6.37pm on 27 May.
Its director, Siti Rohani Nadir, said the department deployed about 50 firemen from five fire and rescue stations to the area.
Source: China Press on Facebook
Six firefighter volunteers from the Senai and Kulai Besar fire and rescue teams further assisted with efforts to put out the fire.
“We also sent out our assets such as three Fire Rescue Tender vehicles, two tankers, one Light Fire Rapid Tender, one Aerial Ladder Platform, one Compact Fire Rescue Tender and one Emergency Medical Rescue Service (EMRS),” she said.
She added that the factory had seven building units, housing a paint processing and lubricant processing facility.
It contained highly flammable materials such as solvent, acetone, and dimethyl ether (DME).
The director went on to state that early eyewitness reports have determined that the fire began at the factory’s warehouse area.
Source: China Press on Facebook
Speaking to reporters on the night of 27 May, she said that the fire had been successfully controlled with no one sustaining any injuries.
Firefighters carried out cooling works until the fire was completely extinguished.
She also mentioned that the department was investigating the cause of the fire and estimated losses.
Meanwhile, police have instructed residents within a 500m radius of the factory to stay away from the area to ensure public safety.
According to the Malay Mail, the Johor Department of Environment (DoE) has been monitoring the air quality at nearby residential areas following the fire.
Johor Health and Environment Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said DoE personnel monitored the air quality in the area surrounding the factory from 12.30am to 8am on Tuesday (28 May).
They further monitored the nearby residential area of Jalan Bahagia 1 about 300m away from the paint factory as a precaution.
Source: Malay Mail
The personnel also checked the air quality in front of the SJKC Ping Ming vernacular school, 500m away from the site of the fire.
Ling said that initial checks on Jalan Bahagia 1 revealed that the air contained a chemical-like odour. However, the air monitoring reading was satisfactory.
He added that personnel did not detect any odour in front of the school, with the air quality showing no pollution.
Source: Malay Mail
A representative of homeowners in the area said that discussions had been held on the possible evacuation of residents if harmful fumes from the site of the fire were detected.
“Therefore, I urge for all residents to be prepared in the event that they have to leave their homes to a safer location,” he told Malay Mail.
About 2,000 residents are at risk if authorities do detect harmful fumes from the factory.
Also read: 50 residents evacuate after fire breaks out along Bedok South HDB corridor, PAB battery may be cause
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Featured image adapted from China Press on Facebook.
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