Wisma Jakel fire: K9 unit to be deployed tomorrow for forensic investigation - Selangor JBPM

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) will mobilise its K9 Dog Detection Unit tomorrow to carry out forensic work and determine the cause of a fire that broke out at Wisma Jakel, Section 7, here this morning.

Selangor JBPM director Datuk Norazam Khamis said two dogs from the unit would be deployed to the scene to determine whether there were any elements of arson or fire accelerants were used in the incident.

"The K9 unit will only be deployed when the fire is completely extinguished to conduct investigations and determine the fire cause," he told a press conference near the scene today.

Norazam said the full report on the incident is expected to be ready in a month's time.

He said the five-storey Wisma Jakel building was completely burnt in the fire which was reported to have occurred at about 7.08 am.

Norazam said at first firefighters were able to control the blaze but it eventually spread to the other part of the building which was used as a storage facility.

"We managed to control the fire at 3 pm and efforts to put out the remaining 10 per cent of the fire at the storeroom are underway. The fire is expected to be completely extinguished within one or two hours," he said.

Norazam said a total of 89 fire personnel from six stations were involved in the operation to extinguish the fire.

"Four units of Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP) vehicles, including from Kuala Lumpur and Melaka, as well as five 20,000-litre capacity water tankers are also used in the operation," he added.

Commenting on the condition of an auxiliary firefighter who was reported to have been injured in the firefighting operation, Norazam said the fireman sustained only minor injuries after being hit by fragments of hot stones and he was taken to a nearby hospital for further examination.

-- BERNAMA