The investigation to determine the cause of the fire that destroyed parts of Pasar Borong Selangor in Seri Kembangan will only begin on Monday, according to the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM).
Selangor JBPM Operations Division assistant director Ashrul Riezal Ashbar said the fire scene was handed over to the Selangor JBPM Fire Investigation Division yesterday afternoon.
He said an initial assessment was carried out by fire investigators together with the department’s K9 Detection Unit at the scene.
“However, the K9 dogs were unable to enter the hotspot area as parts of the fire site were still extremely hot and unsafe,” he said in a statement.
Ashrul said the Fire Investigation Division would begin a detailed investigation once conditions at the location allowed for further examination.
When asked whether the fire could have been caused by negligence or sabotage, he said the matter was still under investigation.
Previously, two JBPM detection dogs, Rusty and Sam, were deployed to assist forensic investigations at the fire site by searching through debris and burnt materials.
The trained Cocker Spaniel and Springer Spaniel dogs were equipped with special safety boots while inspecting the affected area to help identify possible causes of the blaze.
The fire involved Block B4 of the wholesale market, a Class B building measuring 100 feet by 100 feet that housed three premises, including a catering and kitchen equipment shop, an egg store and a hardware shop.
The blaze destroyed about 90 per cent of the affected premises before it was brought under control at 6.35am yesterday following an overnight firefighting operation.
Firefighters later carried out debris removal works with the assistance of excavators to facilitate investigations and ensure all remaining fire sources were fully extinguished.
The operation was completed at 5pm yesterday, with checks confirming no victims were found and no further spread of fire was detected.
The scene was subsequently handed over to the Selangor JBPM Fire Investigation Division before the operation was fully concluded at 6pm.
