SUBANG JAYA – "I saw the flames shooting up and things melting into dust."
Those were the terrifying moments recalled by Ahmad Baharudin Hamid, 56, a resident of Kampung Sungai Baru here, during the gas pipeline fire and explosion tragedy in Putra Heights on April 1.
He said at the time of the incident, he was resting outside his house at about 8am.
"The explosion happened right before my eyes, not far from my house—about 70 metres away. I saw the flames with my own eyes.
"The first blast wasn’t that loud, but the flames were already rising high, about 60 to 70 metres. Then I heard the gas line hissing like the sound of an airplane taking off.
"Not long after that, I could feel the intense heat. I immediately rushed inside the house to get my family members, essential items and personal belongings. Alhamdulillah, my wife and four children are all safe," he said when met at the temporary relief centre (PPS) at Putra Heights Mosque on Monday.
He added that due to the extreme heat during the incident, a Bangladeshi man - likely a worker near the explosion site - ran towards his house naked.
"The man (victim) was badly burnt all over his body. I helped by giving him clothes before leaving the area.
"Imagine—just running 100 to 200 metres, you could still feel the searing heat. It was impossible to stay there. My car and motorcycle melted. Even clothes that were hanging didn’t appear burned, but they just turned to dust, like many other belongings too," he said.
Baharudin said that while fleeing, he could hear stones falling onto the car.
When asked about his plans regarding his two-story home that got destroyed, Baharudin said he would repair it.
"I’ve been living there for the past five years. The house was built on inherited land and I have no plans to move elsewhere," he said.
Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan in a press conference on the sixth day of the incident on Sunday, said that a total of 439 homes had been assessed.
Out of those, 220 were safe, while 219 were affected—including 87 that were severely damaged.
In addition, police have received 642 reports, and statements from 118 witnesses have been recorded.