KUALA LUMPUR – The operators of a rental accommodation – with tiny, capsule-like rooms – in the city centre here can be brought to court for violating fire safety law, the Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department said.
In a statement, the department said it will be consulting the Attorney-General’s Chambers on follow-up action.
The premises, a three-storey shophouse, did not have any firefighting equipment or fire safety installations, as required by the Fire Services Act 1988.
It was raided in a special operation today led by Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming.
The shophouse had been modified with partitions to make 74 units of “birdcage-like” or capsule rooms. The department said the units are deemed unfit for human dwelling.
There were 38 units on the first floor, while the second and third floors had 19 and 17 units, respectively.
“(The fire department) will issue a Fire Hazard Abatement Notice under Section 8 of (the Fire Services Act), and will give the premise owner 14 days to adhere to it – under Section 10 of the same Act.”
“If the notice is not adhered to within the deadline, an investigation paper will be opened for charging purposes,” the department said in a statement.
The inspection done today was under Section 38 of the Fire Services Act, which empowers officers to enter any premises for the purpose of determining whether there is – or has been – any violation of the act on the premises.
It is also to determine whether there is any fire hazard within, or affecting, the premises. – October 19, 2023