Tuesday, Sep 18, 2012
JOHOR BARU - A man who wanted to clear debris from a rubbish chute of their flat by burning them was hurt when an explosion from the fire occurred.
Neighbours A. Rahim Arshad, 59, and Mohd Eddie Mohd Kamal, 37, wanted to clear the chute of rubbish at their flat in Bandar Selesa Jaya here. However, one of them dropped a bottle of petrol and caused an explosion which broke a brick wall nearby.
Mr Mohd Eddie said the rubbish had not been collected for about two months and the chute was overflowing and emitted a foul odour. Both men then decided to clear the rubbish by burning the contents at 7.30 pm on Sunday.
"We covered all the slots along the chute and even brought some pails of water in case the fire got out of control. We then ignited a fire with petrol and managed to clear about 70 per cent of the rubbish," he said. Mr Mohd Eddie said the explosion happened when Mr Rahim accidentally dropped a bottle containing petrol into the chute.
"At first, nothing happened. But, when Rahim decided to go to the top of the chute to take a look, the whole place exploded," he said, adding that he brought his neighbour to a nearby clinic for treatment.
Mr Rahim said he received 11 stitches after he sustained deep cuts to his right foot and right hand.
"I was flung down a flight of stairs and I saw bricks flying towards me. I found myself lying on my back about six metres down a flight of stairs," he added.
Pengkalan Rinting assemblyman Chia Song Cheng said the explosion also blew off part of the roof of the rubbish chute.
He said the solid waste contractor had stopped collecting rubbish from individual rubbish chutes and only did so from the large bins provided at the flats.
"The residents have been advised to use the bins, but many still dump their trash into the chute," he added.
