Police broaden Putra Heights fire probe to explore potential criminal activity and negligence.

SUBANG JAYA, April 7 — Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said the investigation into the gas pipeline explosion in Putra Heights has been expanded to cover possible criminal elements and broader aspects of negligence.

Speaking at a press conference today, he said more than 10 agencies are now involved in probing the incident.

He explained that negligence may not be the sole cause — other contributing factors such as environmental conditions and system pressures are also being considered.

“There are many dimensions to negligence. It doesn’t only involve human error. Ground movement, high water pressure, and other elements may also play a role. That was part of our discussion earlier,” he said after a closed-door police briefing.

Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan previously stated that the affected Petronas gas pipeline needs to be fully exposed before investigators can confirm whether nearby excavation work by a contractor had impacted it.

He noted that the pipeline did not show any clear signs of disturbance.

“At this stage, we cannot determine if the contractor’s excavation interfered with the pipeline until the full stretch in the area is uncovered for thorough examination,” he said.

Hussein added that initial findings indicate the contractor’s sewage pipeline was installed at a depth of 2.1 metres, while the Petronas gas line lies 5.6 metres beneath the road surface — suggesting a 1.6-metre vertical gap between the two.

The explosion, which occurred on the second day of Hari Raya, caused damage to 219 homes and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate.