2025 Putra Heights pipeline fire

On 1 April 2025, at approximately 8:08 a.m., a major industrial incident occurred in Putra Heights, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, when a Petronas gas pipeline leak triggered an explosion and subsequent fire. The blaze, which broke out during the morning of the second day of Eid al-Fitr celebrations, reportedly produced flames as high as 30 metres, with some accounts comparing the height to a 20-storey building. A total of 145 people were reported injured, and emergency evacuations were conducted within a 290-metre radius of the site.
At 8:08 am local time on 1 April 2025, an explosion occured at the Petronas-owned Peninsula Gas Utilisation underground gas pipeline between gate valve 210 and gate valve 211 in Putra Heights, resulting in a large mushroom cloud in a residential area around Jalan Putra Harmoni. Flames reportedly reached 30 metres, with some sources comparing the height to a 20-storey building, and temperatures reached approximately 1,000 degrees Celsius. They were visible from several kilometres away, with videos of the conflagration quickly circulating across social media platforms. The explosion also caused sand and gravel to disperse for up to several kilometres, affecting residents in Putra Heights and nearby Puchong.
Some media outlets initially misreported the incident as a petrol station fire, but the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department later confirmed it was caused by a ruptured Petronas gas pipeline.
Eyewitness accounts documented extensive property damage, including structural damage to homes and vehicles. At least 49 houses were impacted by the fire.
Many residents reported that the explosion and the ensuing roaring flames shook the ground and rocked their houses, which can be felt up to 1.5 kilometres away from the epicentre. Some said the roaring flame sounded like tremors or hurricane, while others described it like the sound of an plane turbine, or an airplane flying over their house. One resident also witnessed debris crushing through the roof of her house and hit her leg after the explosion.
Numorous eyewitnesses recounted similar experience on the extremely intense heat generated by the roaring flame, which melted their cars, motorcycles, plastic pipes, water tank, CCTV camera, PVC wires, and other fixtures in their houses. The heat also ignited some of their houses, possibly by way of radiant heat.
Several reports also indicated that surrounding objects heated up rapidly after the blast, making it difficult for residents to retrieve their belongings. One resident who attempted to save his motorcycle said his skin stuck to the metal upon contact, resulting in burns to his hands.
The asphalt road in the immediate vicinity was also heated up to the point that escaping residents found their rubber slippers and flip-flops melted away in the process. An elderly woman suffered burns on her two legs while running barefoot, and has to be dragged to safety by her children as she was becoming reluctant to move due to severe pain. A man also witnessed his car's side mirror melting away when he's trying to drive his car away from the scene.
“The heat was so intense that we knew if we didn’t run that’s the end of us”, a resident from Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru —a village located near the site of fire— told Malay Mail when interviewed. Many victims within a few hundreds metres radius from the fire suffered burns when escaping, with the majority being second- to third-degree burns, but there are also some reports of first- and forth-degree burns.
Due to the intense scorching heat produced by the flame, several residents from Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru were also forced to flee into the nearby Klang River to cool down their body. Some were even forced to swim across the river to escape to safety, and were rescued by a Malaysian and five Pakistanis from the other side of the river.
The explosion also caused power outages in Putra Heights and Subang Jaya, which prompted TNB to deploy its technical team to the area and carry out repair works. Electricity to the Subang Jaya area was fully restored by 10:22 am in the same day, however power supply to affected areas in Putra Heights remained cut off since 4 pm on the day of the incident, as cable inspection work is still underway to prevent any sparks or short circuits from occuring.
The large fire from the burst pipeline persisted for around seven hours after its first ignition and was only fully extinguished by 3:45 pm. The explosion formed a crater which measures approximately 21 metres by 24 metres with a depth of 9.8 metres (32 ft) at the site.
The incident resulted in 111 injuries consisting of 13 in the red zone, 55 in the yellow zone and 43 in the green zone with victims suffering from burns, smoke inhalation, respiratory difficulties, and other physical trauma. Of the injured people, 67 individuals required hospitalisation for more serious conditions, while forty-nine received treatment at a temporary medical base.
One victim, sustained burns on his left leg when his house's ceiling collapsed, also crushing his vehicle. Another resident reported that his daughter suffered foot injuries while attempting to escape the intense heat. Several residential properties in proximity to the pipeline caught fire during the fire.
Although Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad on 1 April initially said there's no victim being treated in intensive care unit (ICU), the Health Ministry later confirmed 3 victims in total were admitted into the ICU, one at Cyberjaya Hospital (later transferred to Kuala Lumpur Hospital); one at Ampang Hospital; and one at Sunway Medical Centre. On 3 April, the number of ICU patients has decreased to one, being the one ICU patient that was admitted into Ampang Hospital.
Residents at Putra Heights and Puchong who are up to 10 kilometres away from the explosion site reported that sand, dust and fine gravel started to fall down on their roofs and cars at around 8 o'clock in the morning. Many residents have uploaded photos and videos to social media which showed vehicles and areas near their homes were 'showered' with sand and fine gravel.
538 people were displaced by the explosion with most being housed at two temporary relief centres; one at the multi-purpose hall of Putra Heights Mosque, another one at the Dewan Camelia of Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ).
No toxic gas or abnormal air pollution index (API) readings were detected in the surrounding areas following the incident according to the Department of Environment.
On 3 April 2025, Italian Baker Sdn Bhd, the producer of Massimo bread loaves, announced that its bread supply would be temporarily limited starting from 4 April until further notice, due to a disruption in LNG supply to its factory following the gas pipeline fire in Putra Heights. Likewise, Malaysia Smelting Corp, one of the world's largest tin producers, also informed customers that deliveries from its smelter in Port Klang had been disrupted, and it remained unclear when fuel supplies would resume.
Emergency services received the initial notification about the fire at 8:10 am, with first responders quickly mobilising to address the situation. Selangor Fire and Rescue Department responded to the emergency by initiating rescue operations for residents trapped in the vicinity while simultaneously combating the fire. A total of 78 firefighters were deployed to help with the fire.
Petronas isolated the affected pipeline by remotely closing off gate valve 210 at 8:51 am and gate valve 211 at 8:46 am, which are the two gate valves nearest to the site of fire. As a contingency measure, the authorities also closed off gate valve 209 and gate valve 212 due to continuous pressure readings inside the burning pipeline. Petronas was also ordered to conduct gas release works at three gate valves, namely gate valve 210, 211 and 212. However, officials noted that residual gas remaining within the pipeline may take at least 4 hours to clear out, either by burning up in the fire or released through the gate valves.
As part of the emergency response, three nearby Petronas stations: Putra Heights, Putra Bestari, and KM2 LDP, were also precautionarily closed, though authorities confirmed these facilities were not directly affected by the fire. Officials clarified that only the main pipeline was involved in the incident, not the nearby Petronas petrol station as some initial reports had suggested.
Emergency medical services established a medical base at the Sri Maha Kaliamman Temple, where fourty-nine victims received treatment, while an additional sixty-three individuals with more severe injuries were transported to nearby medical facilities. The Ministry of Health dispatched personnel to administer first aid at the temple location, with additional victim support provided by local mosque authorities.
As a precautionary measure, residents in the surrounding areas were evacuated, and a temporary relief center was established at Masjid Putra Heights. The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia also issued advisories requesting the public refrain from flying drones in the affected areas to avoid interference with emergency operations.
On 2 April 2025, the police states that 24-hours round-the-clock police patrol will be conducted in the neighborhoods affected by the fire to ensure the safety of the victims' property and belongings, and to prevent opportunistic individuals from taking advantage of the situation. District police chief Wan Azlan Wan Mamat also said the police will be patrolling together with the firefighters to ensure there's no secondary fires from taking place in the area.
In response to the incident, at 12:07 pm on 1 April 2025, PLUS Malaysia announced that all routes between Seafield and Bandar Saujana Putra on the ELITE Highway was closed for all traffics for safety reasons. The closure was later lifted at around 1:51 pm on the same day.
During the incident, first responders also saved 2 dogs, 3 rabbits, and a guinea pig (previously reported as hamster) from the surrounding affected home after the fire have subsided. The two dogs were found at the porch outside the houses, while the rabbits and guinea pig were rescued from the inside of a home by the firefighters together with their owner.
The two dogs rescued were found to be in a daze and unable to walk when they were seen by the patrolling firefighters, likely due to smoke inhalation. A video showed that a firefighter and a policeman carried one of the dogs to safety and subsequently sent it for further treatment. Both dogs were later reported to have been treated at a veterinary clinic in Taman Megah for oxygen therapy and IV drips. Owners of the dogs have been urged to come forward to claim back their pets.
There were also reports of pet owners rushing back to their houses to rescue their pets upon learning about the fire, or escaping together with their pets upon woken up to the explosion. Many residents who were injured were also seen cradling their beloved pets at the makeshift medical base at the Sri Maha Kaliamman Temple.
However, a resident from Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru also claimed that 7 cats owned by his sister died in an instant due the intense heat generated by the fire. "The heat was really so great that pets that were not kept in the house died on the spot", he said. A Putra Heights resident who her cat miraculously survived in the blaze also claimed that "most of my neighbour’s cats didn’t make it".
Malaysian Animal Association, an animal welfare NGO, has announced they will offer free pet care services for affected pet owners for seven days from 2 April until 8 April. Another animal welfare group, the Stray Animal Association of Malaysia (SAFM) also mobilised volunteers to rescue pets and stray animals in the affected area. The group is also collaborating with several veterinary clinics to provide free emergency treatment for animals suffering from burns or smoke inhalation and distributing food to animals that have lost their homes or caretakers. Its president said the aid mission starts on 2 April and will continue as needed.
On 2 April, volunteers were able to find at least two cats that were trapped in the affected houses and reunited them with their worried owners. One of the cats, who is safe but terrified, was found in a house that is located just 200 metres away from the epicentre of the fire. A coordinated operation by Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal (SPCA), SAFM, Animal Kindness Coalition (AKC), the fire department, and other NGOs has also sucessfully rescued 2 snakes, a turtle, a fish, and a hamster from the affected areas, in addition to cats and dogs.
On 1 April 2025, the Department of Environment (DOE) deployed an initial team to the site to carry out a preliminary air quality monitoring and assessment. The DOE also installed a CEREX gas detector at SK Putra Heights 2 which is located less than 2 kilometres away from the incident site. As of 12 pm on 2 April 2025, the DOE said no toxic gas has been detected by the CEREX gas detector and the air pollution index (API) readings in the surrounding monitoring stations remained normal. The department has also increased enforcement and monitoring efforts via land and air by using drones.
After a site visit on the day of the incident, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced an immediate financial aid of RM5,000 to owners whose houses were completely destroyed, while RM2,500 will be given to victims whose houses were partially damaged. Anwar Ibrahim also said affected residents will be compensated by the federal government, Selangor state government and Petronas. He also announced the governments and Petronas will take full responsibility on restoring, fixing and replacing the affected residential areas, but said it will take time, as it may a take a year or more to rebuild the houses.
Furthermore, companies like Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) offered 100 percent electricity bill rebate for victims whose houses were affected by the fire, including a waiver of electricity reconnection charges and late payment charges.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Human Resources said PERKESO has identified its members who were affected by the fire, and the payment of compensations under its invalidity scheme is currently underway. Additionally, any PERKESO contributors involved in this incident may also carry out further checks with the organisation to ascertain if they are eligible for permanent or temporary disablement benefits, subject to the severity of their injuries.
On 4 April 2025, Minister of Digital Gobind Singh Deo also announced his ministry will provided 100 laptops, 100 smartphones, and 100 tablets to residents who lost their electronic devices in the fire. He said application can be made through their respective members of Parliament or state assemblymen, including Kota Kemuning assemblyman S. Preakas. 500 powerbanks will also be given to evacuees by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation under his ministry.
On the same day, the King of Malaysia, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor also drove himself to the incident site with his Proton Satria Neo RS at 9:40 am and visited evacuees in the temporary relief centres at Putra Heights Mosque at 10:22 am, after which His Majesty personally handed out RM1,000 of cash assistance to each of 308 households affected by the fire through Yayasan Sultan Ibrahim Johor. His Majesty was joined by Raja Muda of Selangor Tengku Amir Shah, the Menteri Besar of Selangor, and other government officials during the visit.
Several automobile and used car companies have pledged to provide or lend vehicles to victims who lost their cars in the fire, with 50 cars from Carsome; 50 SUVs from Chery; 30 cars from Carro; 20 cars from GoCar; 62 cars from DRB-Hicom, 62 vehicles from YonMing, and 30 vehicles from Tan Chong Motor Holdings Bhd and Warisan TH Holdings Bhd. 63 motorcycles will be provided by an unnamed company as well.
The first batch of 25 cars from Chery was delivered to the victims on 4 April, with the remaining 25 cars expected to be handed over as early as 7 April. On 5 April, 30 cars from Carro were distributed to the victims. 20 cars from Carsome were also delivered in the same day, with the remaining 30 cars expected to arrive by the next week.
400 families have also received RM3,000 cash donation each, with 300 families receiving the donations from Vincent Tan through Berjaya Cares Foundation, and another 100 families receiving it from Matrix Concepts Holdings.
Chery has also donated RM50,000 to the management of Putra Heights Mosque, which housed one of the temporary relief centre, to pay its utilities.
Panasonic has also provided 240 families with RM500 e-vouchers to replace their electrical appliances lost in the fire, which will remain valid until 31 December 2025.
Minister of Housing and Local Government Nga Kor Ming acknowledged receiving official reports from the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department regarding the incident and stated that a comprehensive investigation would be carried out to determine the cause and circumstances of the pipeline failure. He confirmed that the department had been instructed to proceed with standard investigative protocols.
Menteri Besar of Selangor Amirudin Shari announced that the initial report on the fire was expected to be completed within 72 hours.
On 5 April 2025, journalists from China Press observed that a vehicle-mounted Leica mobile mapping system had been deployed to the scene by authorities.