K9 unit to be deployed to check cause of Wisma Jakel fire

 

Firemen battling to put out the blaze that destroyed Wisma Jakel in Shah Alam this morning. (Bernama pic)

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor fire and rescue department 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 in Section 7 here this morning.

Its director Norazam Khamis said two dogs from the unit would be deployed to the scene to determine whether there was arson and detect any presence of fire accelerants in the incident.

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

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

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

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

“We managed to control the fire at 3pm and efforts to put out the remaining 10% of the fire at the storeroom are under way.

“The fire is expected to be completely extinguished within one or two hours,” he said.

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

“Four units of aerial ladder platform vehicles, including from Kuala Lumpur and Melaka, as well as five 20,000-litre capacity water tankers were 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. He was taken to a nearby hospital for further examination. - FMT