KUALA LUMPUR: Authorities have not ruled out foul play in their probe into Thursday's tahfiz school fire that killed 23 people in Dato' Keramat, here.
Parallel investigations into the incident being carried out by police and fire authorities are focused on determining what had caused the 5am blaze, including possibility of a short circuit, and the mystery behind two cooking gas cylinders found at the scene.
Federal Fire and Rescue Department deputy director-general Datuk Soiman Jahid said investigators have taken samples from the scene for further analysis.
He, however, did not want to elaborate on what the samples were, but sources close to the investigation said these include the gas cylinders and swabs taken from several spots where the blaze is believed to have started from.
Soiman said while they have not ruled out foul play, the public is urged not to speculate on the cause of the fire.
"Please give room to our investigators to do their job. We are looking at this incident from all angles, including the possibility of a short circuit, whether it was started by mosquito coil, and to find out why the gas cylinders were there.
"We have not ruled out anything yet, pending forensic analysis. We will also take statements from all related parties including the school teachers and students who survived the fire, as well as the building's owner.
"The public should stop speculating. Twenty three souls just perished in this incident. Please respect the sensitivity of their families and everyone affected by this tragedy," he said.
Soiman's sentiment was shared by Wangsa Maju district police chief Superintendent Roy Suhaimi Sarif.
Roy, under whose jurisdiction the incident location comes under, said police have also not ruled out anything in the incident, including the possibility of foul play.
However, he added, investigations so far have not shown that this was the case.
When asked on the gas cylinders, Roy said police are working to determine why it was put on the third floor and by whom.
"So far we know that the tahfiz school's kitchen uses four gas cylinders.
"We are trying to find out how did the cylinders end up upstairs. It is under investigation, so do not speculate as forensics are still working to identify what had caused the blaze.
"It could be that the cylinders were taken upstairs by teachers who wanted to use something heavy to break the hostel door in an attempt to rescue victims. Police will be able to establish this after we finish taking statements from those involved.
"We are not ruling anything out yet, including a short circuit and other possibilities. We also received cooperation from the Energy Commission in this investigation."