Kulai Rubber Factory Blaze: 80 Pupils Report Mild Symptoms, Shortness Of Breath

KULAI, Feb 26 (Bernama) -- Eighty pupils from two primary schools in Kulai have reported mild symptoms, including shortness of breath, following the fire at a rubber-processing factory in Sengkang.

Johor Health and Environment Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said the pupils, 56 of whom were from SK Taman Kota Kulai and 24 from SK Taman Kota Kulai 2, experienced symptoms including headaches, coughs, eye irritation and mild breathing difficulties.

He said they are all being monitored by the Kulai District Health Office, with no hospital admissions reported so far.

“The district health office, together with relevant agencies, will continue to monitor the situation to ensure public safety and wellbeing,” he said in a statement.

Ling also advised the public not to panic and to rely only on official sources for updates.

Those experiencing prolonged headaches, severe coughs, eye irritation or breathing difficulties have been urged to seek medical attention promptly, he said.

Meanwhile, Johor Department of Environment assistant director Mazrita Masnon said no reports of river pollution had been received as a result of the fire.

She added that the factory management had been instructed to implement control measures to prevent water used in firefighting operations from entering nearby rivers.

The Johor Fire and Rescue Department expects the blaze, which has been burning since Tuesday, to be fully extinguished today.

Senior Fire Superintendent I Muhammad Tarmizi Md Jaafar, assistant director of operations for the department, said firefighting efforts were now 90 per cent complete.

“Overhaul works will continue until we are certain there are no remaining flare-ups and no risk of reignition,” he told reporters at the scene.

The operation involves 45 personnel and four excavators to dig through and douse residual debris to prevent hidden embers from reigniting. The department’s forensic unit has also entered the site to determine the cause of the fire.

The factory fire broke out at around 4 pm last Tuesday. Five schools in the surrounding area have been closed so far due to thick smoke and a burning odour that could pose health risks to staff and pupils.

-- BERNAMA