THOUSANDS of methane gas canisters and unusable fire hydrants significantly complicated efforts by the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) to contain a major fire near the Selangor Wholesale Market in Seri Kembangan overnight, with firefighters battling explosions and rapidly spreading flames before bringing the situation under control.
Selangor JBPM Operations Division Assistant Director Ashrul Riezal Asbar said approximately 2,000 methane gas canisters were believed to be stored inside the burning premises, triggering a series of explosions during the early stages of the incident.
"Based on our assessment at the scene, we were informed that there were approximately 2,000 methane gas canisters stored inside the premises.
"During the initial stages of the fire, there were indeed several explosions. Thankfully, we managed to bring the situation under control at around 1.20am.
"At present, our personnel are continuing firefighting operations at three warehouses located at the rear of the premises," he told reporters here today.
The fire, believed to have started at about 10.50pm, spread rapidly due to strong winds, prompting a large-scale emergency response involving 68 Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) personnel and 67 volunteer firefighters.
Ashrul Riezal said 15 fire and rescue stations from across Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya deployed 19 fire engines to tackle the blaze.
JBPM received the emergency call at 11.04pm, with the first fire engine from the Seri Kembangan Fire and Rescue Station arriving at the scene nine minutes later.
Despite the hazardous conditions, no casualties have been reported.
"Thankfully, no casualties have been reported so far.
"The firefighting operation also faced challenges after five nearby fire hydrants could not be used because they were under the management of a private entity.
"As a result, we relied entirely on water supplies from our fire engines and water tanker lorries throughout the firefighting operation," he said.
The inoperative hydrants forced firefighters to rely entirely on water carried by fire engines and tanker lorries throughout the operation, adding to the logistical challenges of containing the blaze.
Authorities said the cause of the fire and the estimated financial losses remain under investigation as firefighting operations had yet to be fully completed.
Although the flames spread to several nearby commercial premises, firefighters successfully prevented the fire from reaching the main wholesale market building, located about 50 metres away, which houses fish, vegetable and meat trading operations.
Earlier, the blaze was visible from nearly three kilometres away as towering flames and thick columns of smoke rose high into the night sky. - July 24, 2026
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