Under control: Fire and Rescue Department personnel extinguishing the fire at the main power substation at Mid Valley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur. — AZMAN GHANI/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: A brief fire broke out at the main power substation at Mid Valley Megamall, causing temporary traffic jams in the vicinity of the shopping complex.
Emergency vehicles rushed to the scene and members of the public were seen evacuating from the building during the incident yesterday morning.
City Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (operations) M Fatta M Amin said the fire was believed to have started from the 12,400 litres of cooling oil which was being used to cool the transformer.
“We believe the fire started there as this cooling oil has a flash point of 137°C,” he told reporters at the scene yesterday.
The flash point is when liquid releases enough vapours into the air to produce a flammable mixture.
M Fatta said they received a distress call at 10.32am and the first at the scene were fire fighters from the Pantai Fire Station at around 10.40am.
“In total 45 personnel as well as three fire engines, two emergency medical rescue services vehicles, rapid intervention motorcycles, two water tankers and an aerial ladder platform were deployed,” he said.
According to M Fatta, the affected building was isolated and housed four power substations, of which one power substation caught fire.
“When one of them caught fire we had to employ offensive fire fighting measures to put the fire out.
“We also had to use defensive methods to ensure that the other substations in the building did not catch fire,” he said, adding that the fire was brought under control by 12.07pm before it was completely put out at 12.44pm.
“We then sent a team into the building to ensure the fire could not reignite and a team into the mall to make sure that the fire did not affect the mall structure,” he said, adding that based on initial checks, the substation supplied power to buildings within a 10km radius.
Brickfields OCPD Asst Comm Amihizam Abdul Shukor said the fire initially caused power outages in the vicinity and he was briefed by Tenaga Nasional Bhd representatives that power had been restored in most areas.
“Based on initial investigations no foul play was detected,” he said, adding that no casualties were reported.
