Resident's chilling premonition comes true: “I knew it would blow”  

A RESIDENT of Putra Heights has revealed his chilling premonition just days before a catastrophic gas pipeline explosion occurred in the area, resulting in a large-scale fire and widespread devastation.

Jasbinder Singh, 53, a health and safety professional and long-time resident of Putra Avenue, expressed that he had predicted the disaster, telling his wife, "This could explode."

Jasbinder, who has lived in the area for over 15 years, was one of the first to witness the eruption of flames from his balcony on Tuesday morning, April 1.

In a Bernama exclusive today, Jasbinder was cited saying he immediately recognised the scale of the disaster, remarking that it was "too large" to be a simple house fire.

“I saw the fire from my balcony, and immediately knew it was not a house on fire. It was too large. It must be a gas pipeline,” he explained in an interview with Bernama.

The incident occurred near an area where excavation work had been ongoing in recent days. While Jasbinder and his wife had previously joked about the activities around the pipeline, he never imagined that the risks would materialise into a full-scale disaster.

“I used to joke with my wife in the car – Did you ask them if they have permission to dig? I knew the pipeline was there,” he recalled.

On the day of the explosion, Jasbinder described experiencing intense heat from the blaze, despite his home being around 300 metres from the site.

“It was a strong ray, like sitting under the sun on a scorching beach day,” he said. Fearing that the heat could set his own house alight, he quickly evacuated his wife and daughter to a nearby LRT station, while also alerting his neighbours.

“I didn’t pick up anything. I just closed all windows, removed the curtains, scared they might get burned and ran,” he added.

Jasbinder kept a close eye on his property remotely using CCTV footage, returning only after six hours to collect essential documents.

Although his home was spared, the trauma of the event has left a lasting impact on him, and he has called on the responsible companies, Petronas and Gas Malaysia, to provide more direct engagement with the residents living along the pipeline.

“If the pipes cannot be relocated, then please give us peace of mind. We need to know what went wrong and how it will be prevented in future,” he urged.

He stressed the importance of clear and effective evacuation plans, especially for homes like his, situated in close proximity to the disaster zone. “We need to know what went wrong and how it will be prevented in future,” he said.

Jasbinder’s concerns are shared by many others in the Putra Heights community, which has been left reeling from the aftermath of the explosion.

The fire, which began at 8:10 am, saw flames rising more than 30 metres into the air, with temperatures reaching a scorching 1,000 degrees Celsius. It took nearly eight hours for firefighters to fully extinguish the blaze.

As a result of the disaster, 87 homes have been declared a “total loss,” and 148 others, though damaged, are expected to be safe after repairs.

Over 300 people have been displaced and are currently being sheltered at two relief centres, though, fortunately, no fatalities have been reported.

The disaster has left a community shaken, but residents like Jasbinder are calling for greater transparency and improved safety measures to prevent future tragedies.  – April 5, 2025