PETALING JAYA, April 5 —Two explosions caused by gas leaks at two restaurants at Midvalley Megamall here this morning injured eight people.
The Fire and Rescue Department said the explosions at 10am caused the collapse of the ceiling of the front and kitchen at Chili’s Grill & Bar on the ground floor, as well as the ceiling of the kitchen at fast food restaurant McDonald’s on the lower ground floor.
The victims comprising six men and two women suffered minor face burns and other small injuries and have been sent to hospital. Six of the victims have since been discharged.
Kuala Lumpur fire and rescue assistant operations director Azizan Ismail confirmed that the explosions, which occurred at the kitchens of McDonald’s and Chili’s, were caused by leaks of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from cylinders.
He said the explosions happened while maintenance staff were doing checks at the kitchens of both restaurants, a routine inspection involving all restaurants at the shopping centre.
The authorities have instructed Mid Valley Megamall to carry out checks on all restaurants at the Mid Valley and adjoining Gardens shopping centres, said Azizan.
He added that fire and rescue authorities have scoured the scene and taken samples to identify the source of the fire, among other things.
“Restaurants will resume operations after their checks are conducted,” he said.
Mid Valley Megamall said it was working with the authorities and has shut all the gas systems in the shopping centre until further notice.
“The mall will remain open to visitors and we will keep you updated as and when we have more information,” Mid Valley Megamall said in a brief statement.
The shopping centre also said the “minor” explosions at two eateries happened during reinstatement work to its LPG system following maintenance works.
Mid Valley Megamall said those injured were its maintenance staff, LPG contractor and tenant staff, and that there were no injuries to the public.
“We would like to stress that investigations are still being carried out by Bomba and relevant authorities, and that only minimal interruption is caused to our business,” said the shopping centre.
