PASIR GUDANG: One factory worker suffered burns on his arm while another one broke his left leg when escaping from a fire at a petrochemical plant near here.

Seri Alam OCPD Supt Mohd Sohaimi Ishak said the worker who broke his leg had jumped down from the plant to save himself upon hearing the explosions.

He said the fire took place at Lotte Ube Synthetic Rubber Sdn Bhd plant at the Tanjung Langsat industrial park on Thursday (Feb 24) around 5.16pm.

“Initial investigation showed the fire started from spherical tanks containing cement rubber causing them to explode,” Supt Mohd Sohaimi said in a statement.

He said the two victims were sent to the Penawar Hospital here for treatment.

Meanwhile, Pasir Gudang Fire and Rescue Department chief Ibrahim Omar said 38 firemen from the Pasir Gudang Fire and Rescue, Johor Jaya Fire and Rescue and Larkin Fire and Rescue Departments were deployed to the scene.

He said four Fire Rapid Transit (FRT), two Emergency Medical Response Services (EMRS) vehicles and a water tanker were used in the operations.

“Three spherical tanks containing cement rubber were on fire when our team arrived at the scene,” Ibrahim said in a statement.

He said firemen used foam fix monitors to put off the blaze and were assisted by water monitors from the Titan plant to “cool down” the three tanks.

“Overhaul works were done after the fire was put off by blanketing the tanks with foam,” Ibrahim said, adding the Hazmat team had taken over to monitor the situation.

He said the Hazmat team was using gas monitors to monitor the current air quality at the platforms of the tankers.

The operations ended around 10.05pm and the cause of the fire and losses suffered were still under investigation.