KUALA LUMPUR: Investigations into the fire at the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah tahfiz centre in Jalan Keramat Ujung, here was not caused by a short circuit, said Director of the Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department, Khirudin Drahman.
Khirudin said the forensic findings and the Energy Commission confirmed that the electricity circuit from the school building’s main switch was in good condition.
“We found that the fire had spread in a strange and unusual way, quickly and in a big way. Usually, if the cause is a short circuit, the main fuse box would ‘kick’ and it would take at least 30 minutes for the fire to spread.
“Based on information from the victims who were saved (witnesses), the fire also started from outside the door of the hostel, trapping them in. In addition, there were two gas canisters there, which could have contributed to a bigger cause of fire and it spreading fast,” he told reporters at the scene here.
Khirudin said the department believed there were other elements outside the building which caused the fire and a thorough investigation was going on. -- BERNAMA