“I told my wife this could explode.” These were the chilling words of a resident who said he observed excavation works near his neighbourhood days before a major gas pipeline blaze erupted in Putra Heights, Selangor, on Tuesday.

Jasbinder Singh, 53, a long-time resident of Putra Avenue, Putra Heights and a health and safety practitioner, shared his experience of witnessing the incident, which he described as a “chemical disaster” rather than a simple house fire.

“I saw the fire from my balcony, and immediately...