QuickCheck: Was there an explosion in Sentul?

SEVERAL videos on social media show a giant plume of smoke coming out of an area in Sentul, Kuala Lumpur along with booming and crackling noises.

Did an explosion really occur in Sentul?

Verdict:

TRUE

The explosion occurred at the police evidence storage facility in Sentul on Tuesday (April 26). A video of the incident was posted on Malay news portal Majoriti's Facebook page.

Earlier that day, police had just destroyed RM4.17mil worth of confiscated fireworks.

The Fire and Rescue Department was there to help with the disposal of the fireworks and had doused the pile of fireworks with water. The pile was then crushed with a backhoe.

The explosion happened when workers were clearing the destroyed fireworks.

One of the workers, Al Kasim, said he was clearing the debris when it suddenly ignited in the bin.

“It happened so quickly. One moment we were clearing the pile and the next moment I saw a huge ball of fire.

“I did not think I was going to survive,” he said, adding that he suffered injuries to his back and sprained his ankle.

Two other workers suffered minor injuries.

Sentul OCPD Asst Comm Beh Eng Lai said the fireworks were destroyed at around 3pm at the facility.

He said workers began clearing the area at around 4.30pm.

“Our checks revealed that the fire started at around 6.15pm when the three workers were clearing the area.

“No foul play was detected in this incident,” he said, adding that the victims were aged between 25 and 30.

Fire and Rescue Department operations commander Ahmad Daniel Ahmad Kamal said fire engines and personnel from the Hang Tuah, Titiwangsa, Tun Razak and Wangsa Maju fire stations were deployed to the scene after receiving a call at 6.22pm.

“We arrived 10 minutes later and found that around 450sq m of the area was on fire.

“Thirty per cent of a building and several vehicles were destroyed,” he said, adding that the blaze was doused by 7.40pm.

References:

1. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/04/26/fireworks-disposal-sets-off-thick-smoke-sounds-of-explosion-at-police-storage-facility

2. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/04/26/039i-saw-a-huge-ball-of-flame039-says-witness-after-fireworks-disposal-ends-with-a-bang

3. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/04/27/three-hurt-clearing-destroyed-fireworks