Six Firefighters in Malaysia Injured in Roof Collapse

KUALA TERENGGANU: Six firemen were injured when the roof of the Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) chancellery office fell on them as they were battling a fire in the building.

State Fire and Rescue Department director Md Salleh Sarbini said one fireman had to be warded at Sultanah Nur Zahirah hospital while the others received outpatient treatment at the UMT clinic.

Fireman Azman Abdul Hamid, 43, suffered bruises to his right chest, and hurt his leg after being hit by wooden beams and roof tiles while trying to put out the fire.

Salleh said Azman underwent an X-ray at 4pm yesterday.

Thirty firefighters and three fire engines were sent to UMT after the department received a call about the fire at 11.54am.

"We arrived at the scene about 25 minutes later and managed to contain the fire in about an hour. "The roof gave way at noon and collapsed while eight firemen were still dousing the embers," he said, adding that 90 per cent of the third floor of the building had been damaged.

An intern at the chancellery office's security unit, Dayangku Dalilah Mamat, 23, said she and a colleague heard an explosion at 11.30am. They were then asked to evacuate the premises by other security personnel, led by the Fire and Safety Committee chairman Ahmad Fazli Mohamed.

Ahmad Fazli, an assistant accountant, said normally there would be 10 staff on the third floor, a level dedicated to the vice-chancellor.

Language teacher Husna Nurul Izzah Jamaludin, 27, said she heard a loud explosion and rushed out of her office to find out what had caused it.

"A colleague told me the explosion was from the chancellery office. I saw black smoke billowing from the roof of the building which was about 200m away from my office."

The authorities are looking at the possibility the air-conditioning unit in the vice-chancellor's office had exploded because of a short circuit.

UMT deputy vice-chancellor (research and innovation) Prof Dr Mohd Effendy Abd Wahid said the fire also damaged the meeting room and two administrative officers' rooms.

"The chancellery operations will be moved to the Postgraduates Studies building next door from Monday.

"The extent of the losses has yet to be determined and we will work with the Fire and Rescue Department on that."

( END )

Copyright 2013 New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) BerhadAll Rights Reserved