A blazing fire broke out at Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) at around 12.15pm on March 17 and has caused much concern among Malaysians for the staff and patients at the place. It was reported by The Star that the Fire and Rescue Department was alerted at 12.30pm and they rushed to the scene as people were evacuating the building.
Source: Facebook
Source: Facebook
Source: Facebook
The fire came from one of the storerooms located at the hospital’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine (IPFN) building as the alarm sounded and panicked people were seen rushing out of nearby buildings. Fortunately, the flames were quickly brought under control by the heroic Fire and Rescue Department before it could spread to other buildings.
After the fire was extinguished, hospital director Dr Nor Akma Yusuf has reassured everyone that medical services are operating as usual and no casualties or injuries were recorded due to the fire. That’s a relief! In the midst of the uproar, netizens were praying and cheering for the hardworking staff at HKL who worked quickly to ensure the safety of their patients, The Star reported.
Source: Facebook
Source: Facebook
Source: The Star
The raging fire, which could have wreaked even more damage and caused a bigger disaster was averted thanks to the quick thinking of the engineering team at HKL. Apparently, another room near the fire had 163 oxygen tanks in storage but the team removed all of them in case the fire spread and caused an explosion. Fire plus oxygen is not a good combination!
The engineering team also managed to minimise the damage to the hospital by shutting off the oxygen and electricity pipelines, according to The Star. City Fire and Rescue Department director Khirudin Drahman said that based on preliminary investigations, the fire is believed to have been started by a short circuit in the room.
Source: Facebook
Source: The Star
The storeroom on the ground floor contained items like surgical gloves and cotton. Khirudin said, “The materials are easily flammable so it spread quickly and the prayer room above the storeroom was also razed. However the rest of the building remained largely unscathed with some smoke and heat damage.”
As it was a weekend, only two people were working at the building, a technician and cleaner who were unharmed. They had went up to the roof as the smoke was blocking their exit but the firemen managed to rescue the two women later.
Watch the video here:
Source: Facebook
That must have been a scary experience but thankfully, no one was hurt!
Also read: Here’s What Ignited the Blazing Fire at EPF Building On Jalan Gasing
