Chery to lend 50 cars to fire-hit residents of Putra Heights, says Selangor exco

SUBANG, April 2 — Chinese electric vehicle maker Chery will let residents affected by the Putra Heights fire here to use 50 of its cars, Selangor Executive Councillor Ng Sze Han said today.

The move is part of efforts to aid over a hundred families who were impacted when their properties, including cars, were wiped out by a fire stemming from a burst gas pipe belonging to national oil firm Petronas, Ng said.

“We understand that many need to go to work. Some of them have to send their children to school,” the DAP state lawmaker said, at a command centre set up about 500 metres away from where the fire first broke out.

“So Chery is lending 50 cars... the application can start in the next few days.”

The Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) said that as of 6pm yesterday, 78 houses and 10 shop lots were destroyed, while 237 other houses were affected — impacting 305 people.

A total of 125 people were reported injured in the 8.10am incident.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was among the first national leaders to visit the site yesterday, where he announced immediate financial aid of RM5,000 for victims whose homes were destroyed and RM2,500 for those whose homes were partially damaged.

This morning around a hundred affected residents waited at the command centre, seeking to return to their homes so they could assess the damage and salvage anything that did not burn in the blaze.

Ng assured them more assistance, including temporary shelters.

Many families told Malay Mail they barely had time to escape as their homes and cars were destroyed — and are now still figuring out what to do next.

“We want to see our home first, see how bad it is but I think it’s all gone,” said one resident, a middle-aged mother of two who did not want to be named out of privacy concerns.

“After that only can we know what to do. Right I’m not even sure what can we do next,” she added when asked if she would claim for damages from her insurers.

The authorities have vowed to probe the cause of the explosion.