22-5-2023 (Kuala Lumpur) A fire erupted today at the old Employees Provident Fund (EPF) building in Jalan Gasing, with initial indications suggesting that the incident could be linked to ongoing renovation work taking place inside.
Hafisham Mohd Noor, assistant operations director of the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department, mentioned that another potential cause could be the flammable cladding material on the building’s exterior, which is currently being demolished.
“As part of our investigation, we will secure the building and conduct a thorough examination,” Hafisham stated.
He further explained that the fire likely originated from the construction activities taking place within the building. Since there were no employees present and no tasks requiring electricity or computers, the focus will primarily be on assessing the impact of the ongoing renovation work.
Notably, the EPF building had previously faced a major fire incident in 2018, which resulted in the destruction of approximately 40 percent of the structure. Consequently, the building has remained closed since then.
During that incident, a spark generated during maintenance work ignited the flammable cladding panels on the exterior of the building.
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Hafisham reassured that a preliminary inspection indicated no structural damage to the building. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire within 10 minutes of their arrival.
Apart from the firefighting team, 38 personnel from the police, Tenaga Nasional Bhd, and the Petaling Jaya City Council actively participated in the operation to contain the fire.
The incident was reported to the authorities at approximately 10:30 a.m., prompting a swift response to mitigate the situation and ensure the safety of surrounding areas.
