Deadly fire at tahfiz centre: Valves of two gas tanks punctured, Fire and Rescue officer tells court

KUALA LUMPUR: A senior fire officer told the High Court here yesterday that the valves of two gas tanks that were found at the scene of the fire at Pusat Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah here last year had been punctured.

Putrajaya Fire and Rescue Department director ( Fire Safety Division) Edwin Galan Teruki said the punctured part of the valves was directed towards the door of the hostel at the tahfiz centre, attributing it to the high level of heat at the door before the fire spread inside the hostel.

“We found the valves opened. We also checked the weight of the gas tank and found it to be light, meaning there was no more gas left,” he said during examination- in- chief by Kuala Lumpur Prosecuting Director Othman Abdullah, who is assisted by deputy public prosecutor Nurakmal Farhan Aziz in the trial of two boys who are jointly charged with the murder of the 23 victims in the fire.

Questioned by Othman how could he know the valves were opened and damaged, Edwin, who is the 27th prosecution witness, said the valves could have been pricked with a certain object.

He also told the court that checks were also conducted on the electric wire near the fuse box at the hostel and confirmed that the fire was not due to faulty electric f low.

To a question by judge Datuk Azman Abdullah, who presided the trial, Edwin said the gas tanks would explode if the valves were not opened.

During the previous proceeding, the court was told that two gas tanks were found at the scene of the fire, both in front of the hostel door.

The two boys, who were then aged 16, were jointly charged with the murder and causing the death of the 23 people at the Pusat Tahfiz Darul Ittifaqiyah in Jalan Keramat Hujung, Kampung Datuk Keramat, here, between 4.15am and 6.45am on Sept 14, 2017.

They were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same law, and faced the mandatory death sentence, if found guilty.

However Section 97( 1) of the Child Act 2001 states that a death sentence shall not be pronounced or recorded against a person convicted of an offence if the child is under the age of 18, and in lieu of the death sentence, as provided under Section 97 ( 2) of the same law, the court shall order the person to be detained at the pleasure of the Yang di- Pertuan Agong.

The hearing continues today. — Bernama