Gas fire in Malaysia injures more than 100 people and damages 49 houses

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A fire caused by a burst gas pipe spread to several homes and sent a fireball soaring into the sky outside Malaysia’s largest city Tuesday, injuring more than 100 people.

The towering inferno near a gas station in Putra Heights outside Kuala Lumpur was visible for kilometers (miles) and lasted for several hours. It happened during a public holiday as Muslims, who are the majority in Malaysia, celebrate the second day of Eid.

National oil company Petronas said the fire started at one of its gas pipelines at 8:10 a.m. and the affected pipeline was later isolated. Disaster management officials said shutting the valves will eventually snuff out the fire.

The flames, 20 stories high at one point, were small enough for firefighters to approach around 2:45 p.m., the Selangor state fire department told the Star newspaper.

At least 49 houses were damaged and 112 people were injured, with 63 sent to the hospital for burns, breathing difficulties and other injuries, Selangor Deputy Police Chief Mohamad Zaini Abu Hassan was quoted by national Bernama news agency as saying.

Selangor Chief Minister Amirudin Shari said the fire department evacuated nearby homes as a safety measure and the residents will be placed in mosques nearby until the situation is under control.

Pictures and videos of the fireball went viral on social media, with some residents saying they felt a strong tremor with the doors and windows of their homes shaking.

Lee Weng Ken, who suffered burns to his left leg, said he was shocked when the ceiling of his house collapsed and crushed his vehicle parked in the compound of the house.

“I rushed out of my house but fell and suffered burns due to the heat from the blaze near my house,” he told Bernama.

Another victim who only wanted to be known as Andy, told Bernama he ran out of his home with his children when they felt tremors and saw the raging fire about 100 meters (yards) away.

“I could only take the car out. My 18-year-old daughter injured her foot when she fell while climbing the fence due to the heat, he said.

Petronas said three gas stations were closed as a precaution, though they weren't affected, and investigations are still underway.

A massive fire burns after a gas pipeline burst on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Putra Heights in Puchong, Malaysia. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

A massive fire burns after a gas pipeline burst on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Putra Heights in Puchong, Malaysia. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Residents watch a colossal fire erupt due to a burst gas pipe in Putra Heights in central Selangor state, Malaysia, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Amir Afiq)

Residents watch a fire in Putra Heights in central Selangor state, Malaysia, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Amir Afiq)

A colossal fire erupts due to a burst gas pipe in Putra Heights in central Selangor state , Malaysia, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bob Weir, guitarist, singer and founding member of the Grateful Dead, has died at age 78.

Weir's death was announced Saturday in a statement on his Instagram page.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir,” the statement said. “He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could. Unfortunately, he succumbed to underlying lung issues.”

Weir joined the Grateful Dead — originally the Warlocks — in 1965 in San Francisco at just 17 years old. He'd spend the next 30 years playing on endless tours with the Grateful Dead alongside fellow singer and guitarist Jerry Garcia, who died in 1995.

Weir wrote or co-wrote and sang lead vocals on Dead classics including “Sugar Magnolia,” “One More Saturday Night” and “Mexicali Blues.”

In the decades since he kept playing with other projects including Dead and Company.

“For over sixty years, Bobby took to the road,” the Instagram statement said. A guitarist, vocalist, storyteller, and founding member of the Grateful Dead. Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music.”

Weir’s death leaves drummer Bill Kreutzmann as the only surviving original member. Founding bassist Phil Lesh died in 2024.

Dead and Company played a series of concert’s for the Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary in July at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

FILE - Bob Weir plays guitar with his band The Dead, formerly the Grateful Dead, at the Forum in the Inglewood section of Los Angeles, Calif. on Saturday May 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel,File)

FILE - This undated file photo shows members of the Grateful Dead band, from left to right, Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh, Jerry Garcia, Brent Mydland, Bill Kreutzmann, and Bob Weir. (AP Photo/File)

FILE - Kennedy Center Honors recipients from left; filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, the legendary American rock band the Grateful Dead band members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann Bob Weir and blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Bonnie Raitt, applaud at at the 2024 Kennedy Center Honors reception in the East Room of the White House, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta,File)

FILE - Bob Weir arrives at Willie Nelson 90, celebrating the singer's 90th birthday on Saturday, April 29, 2023, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. (Photo by Allison Dinner/Invision/AP,File)

FILE - Bob Weir of Dead & Company performs at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival on Sunday, June 12, 2016, in Manchester, Tenn. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP,File)