An editorial artist at Star Media Group had an eventful lunch when he witnessed a fire at a motorcycle shop in Taman Kasturi, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, with vehicles exploding.
“I was eating lunch with my wife when we suddenly heard a loud explosion. We went to see what happened and saw the fire at a motorcycle shop nearby,” said Shankar, The Star reported.
He said as the blaze engulfed the shop, it began to consume the vehicles inside.
“The motorbikes at the shop then started to explode one by one,” Shakar said.
The fire also saw people evacuating from neighbouring shoplots.
“There was a tuition centre above the motorcycle shop with lots of young kids, about three or four-years-old,” Shakar said.
He added that children “were rushing down and running out” and owners of cars and motorcycles parked nearby also scrambled to move their vehicles.
According to Shankar, the fire caused “a lot of panic”. He saw and heard a few explosions, and could feel the heat of the flames from 50 metres away.
“From what I gathered, everyone managed to get out in time. Nobody was hurt,” he said.
When he left the area at around 1.10pm, Shankar said he saw two fire trucks rushing to the scene.
The shop on the ground floor of the three-storey building was completely razed.
It was later learnt that 30 high-powered motorcycles were destroyed in the fire.
Two women were believed to have been rescued from the upper floor by fire fighters.
The cause of the fire and the amount of loss incurred are still be ascertained.