Cops: Fireworks disposal followed procedures
O Preliminary findings indicate hot weather may have caused items to ignite
KUALA LUMPUR: Police had taken all necessary safety precautions before disposing seized fireworks that caught fire and led to a large blaze at a police store on Jalan Sentul Works in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday evening.
Sentul police chief ACP Beh Eng Lai said the disposal of the seized fireworks was carried out in accordance with legal and safety procedures.
He said that he, a magistrate and a senior court assistant registrar were present at the scene to witness the disposal of the fireworks hours before the fire broke out.
Beh said members of the Fire and Rescue Department were also present during the disposal and had sprayed water to drench the items.
He added that after the firemen left the site, the clean-up of the debris was carried out by loading it into dumpsters.
Beh said at 6.25pm, police received calls from the public regarding an explosion at the store where the seized items were kept.
He said police and firefighters rushed to the scene and the fire was put out within 30 minutes.
Beh said three workers who were tasked to clean up the debris suffered light injuries, while five policemen on duty at the store and another two workers escaped unhurt.
He said 18 cars and two lorries parked at the site were destroyed in the blaze and the amount of the losses has yet to be ascertained.
“The Fire and Rescue Department forensics team is carrying out investigations to determine what led to the explosion at the store because the disposal of the fireworks was done hours earlier.
“We had taken all necessary safety measures, including having Fire and Rescue Department personnel present for the disposal and drenching the debris with water.
“Despite taking all these precautions, a fire still broke out,” he said.
He urged those with information on the explosion to contact Sentul police.
Preliminary findings indicate that hot weather may have caused the fireworks debris to ignite, which led to the explosion.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Comm Datuk Azmi Abu Kassim said there is a need to re-examine current procedures and the process of disposing of combustible items to ensure such incidents do not recur.
He said police were complying with an order to destroy and dispose seized fireworks, which was issued by the courts.
“Perhaps we need to find a new way to safely dispose of such large quantities of fireworks after receiving a report on the explosion from the Fire and Rescue Department and the Chemistry Department.”