JOHOR BARU: A section of Km16 Jalan Johor Baru-Skudai had to be closed to traffic for three hours after two drums containing chemicals fell off a lorry.

The lorry was believed to be heading towards Johor Baru when the accident took place at around 9am yesterday.

Twenty-three firemen, including a hazmat (hazardous material) team from Taman Universiti Fire and Rescue Department, rushed to the site about 10 minutes later to retrieve the contents of the 1,800kg drums, believed to be sulphuric acid, which spilled onto the road.

Fire operations commander C. Kesavan said the drums were leaking when his men arrived.

EVERY state will soon be equipped with a Hazmat truck. Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Wan Mohd Nor Ibrahim said this was because of the rising number of accidents involving hazardous materials and chemicals in the country last year.

Datuk Wan Mohd Nor Ibrahim (left) speaking to firemen. Pic by Rahmat Othman
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  "Last year, we recorded 70 such cases nationwide.

  "In the past, the well-equipped Hazmat trucks were only supplied to certain states, like Penang and Selangor, which have more factories.

"We will now supply them to all states.

SEGAMAT: Security guards at a chemical factory in Jalan Labis here were jolted by six explosions, which was followed by a fire that razed the factory on Monday.

Firemen took 30 minutes to douse the flames. Pic by Ahmad Ismail

At the time of the 1.45am incident, Nordin Ali, 62, and his colleague Ahmad Fuad Ali, 52, said they were patrolling the compound when the factory caught fire.

  Nordin said he immediately alerted his supervisor, who managed to drive out a car and three lorries before the buildings were consumed by the flames.

  "After we got the vehicles out, the fire got bigger and it spread to the second floor of the factory," said  Nordin.

  Bandar Baru IOI fire and rescue department's Mohd Haizat Mamat said three fire engines rushed to the scene and the fire was put out in 30 minutes.

KUALA LUMPUR - A restaurant at the ground floor of the Maju Junction Shopping Mall caught fire in an explosion believed to be due to a gas leak.

A distress call was received at about 11.25pm, said City Fire and Rescue Department operations assistant director Azizan Ismail.

"A fire engine from the Chow Kit fire station was immediately dispatched to the scene and found that the explosion occurred due to a leak in a gas pipe in the restaurant's kitchen.

"The severity of the explosion caused the glass doors and ceiling at the restaurant to break and collapse," he said yesterday.

ORT DICKSON: A fire at a shore-to-ship delivery pump at the Esso oil refinery here early Thursday morning saw workers running for their lives and flames visible from 2km away.

The fire, which started about 1am, was put out about three hours later and prevented from spreading to two oil refinery tanks and a nearby LPG bottling plant, said Negri Sembilan Fire and Rescue director Saadon Mokhtar.

He added that 32 firemen and 24 fire-fighters from Esso and Shell used foam to put out the burning nafta petroleum.

“Our firemen, including those from the HazMat (hazardous materials) unit, were rushed to the location after we were summoned at 1.06am,” he said, adding that the fire was put out at 4.17am.

Saadon said about 100 workers were on duty at the time of the fire. All are safe.

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 (Bernama) -- About 1,000 workers of a chemical company at the Malaysian Technology Park in Bukit Jalil were ordered to evacuate the building, after chemicals used for insect control, leaked.

Bukit Jalil Fire and Rescue Department chief Jalil Shaari Abdullah said 26 firemen from Bukit Jalil, Hang Tuah Fire and Rescue Department and a Hazardous Materials Expert team from the Jelatek Fire and Rescue Department arrived at the scene at 9.58am.

He added that Bromomethane and Chloropicrin chemicals were found on the ground and first floor of the eight storey building.

"The chemicals are toxic and could damage the respiratory tract if exposed for a long time," he said after carrying out a cleaning process, here today.

He said except for those working on the ground and first floor where cleaning work was still in progress, the rest of the workers were allowed to return at 1pm.

PETALING JAYA: The fire that occurred at the aromatic plant belonging to Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd is not expected to have any major impact on its business; however, any prolonged closure could affect its revenue.

According to OSK Research analyst Jason Yap, the plant is used to produce paraxylene and benzene, which make up about 20% of forecast revenue for financial year ending March 31, 2011 (FY11).