Malaysians angry over Selangor gas pipeline fire, blame ‘haphazard’ works

More than 100 people were injured in the huge blaze that happened near a residential area, with 65 of them hospitalised

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The site of a gas pipeline fire in Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia on Tuesday. More than 100 people were injured in the blaze. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 1:52pm, 2 Apr 2025Updated: 3:59pm, 2 Apr 2025

Malaysians are demanding answers after a gas explosion in Selangor sparked an hours-long blaze which shot hundreds of metres into the sky, blaming building work above the underground gas pipeline for the accident.

Police on Wednesday said more than 100 people have been hospitalised, including 13 in critical condition. Victims were earlier reported to have suffered burns and smoke inhalation due to exposure to the intense heat and fumes from the giant blaze in Malaysia’s richest state.

Over 500 others remain in evacuation centres, according to a government tally.

The fire, which could be seen from kilometres away, completely destroyed 10 houses and over 300 vehicles and caused severe damage to dozens of other properties near the pipeline in the Putra Heights suburb of Selangor.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said it could take more than a year to repair the damage from the fire, and the authorities were working closely with the relevant agencies and national energy firm Petronas, the owner of the affected pipeline, to find a “reasonable” solution to help the victims.

Petronas said work was under way to mitigate disruption to the country’s gas supply and restore operations “as safely and efficiently as possible”.