Three hurt by explosion at factory in Segamat

JOHOR BAHRU: Two Fire and Rescue Department officers and a factory emergency response team (ERT) personnel were hurt when an explosion occurred during a fire at a factory in Taman Perindustrian Segamat 2, Segamat, yesterday.

Bandar Baru Segamat fire and rescue station chief, Senior Asst Fire Supt Mazuki Ismail said the three were Senior Fire Officer II Syed Putra Syed Mohd Al Atas, 52, Fire Officer Mohd Firdaus Sulaiman, 32, and factory ERT member Mohamad Azuraini Mahrani, 40.

"We received an emergency call about the fire at the sawdust processing factory at 5.15 am. During the firefighting operation, an explosion occurred at the third floor around 10 am, causing a collapse in the factory's building structure.

"The explosion caused Mohd Firdaus and Mohamad Azuraini to fall around 10 metres (m) down from the third floor, while Syed Putra, who was below, was hit by the heat wave, causing burns to the back of his head," he said when contacted by Bernama here today.

According to him, Mohd Firdaus and Mohamad Azuraini, who were seriously injured, are being treated at the Segamat Hospital intensive care unit (ICU), while Syed Putra received outpatient treatment at the same hospital.

He said the fire occurred only at the boiler along the pathway for the sawdust and did not involve the entire three-storey factory building.

He said a team of officers and personnel from the Bandar Baru Segamat and Labis fire and rescue stations were mobilised to the site of the fire.

"The operation ended at 10.56 pm yesterday. The cause and total losses are still being investigated," he added.

-- BERNAMA