Inflammable cladding was blamed for the rapid spread of a recent fire at the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) building on Jalan Gasing.
Based on records from the Fire and Rescue Department, a similar incident occurred at the Kuala Lumpur Library on Jalan Sultan Hishammuddin in 2016, where the same material was used.
Cladding was also blamed for the disastrous fire at the Grenfell Tower in West London, England, which left 71 dead.
Speaking to FMT, JK Associates principal consultant Khen Han Ming said the government must identify which buildings still use cladding and remove it as soon as possible.
“Terrorists, disgruntled employees, even your everyday psychos can burn down one of these buildings and it wouldn’t be too hard to do it,” he said.
“You cannot rely on the usual reactionary approach here. Something must be done, and it must be done now.”
Following the EPF fire, the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) warned that buildings constructed in the 1980s and mid-1990s may have used inflammable cladding as was common practice at the time.
PAM council member Chong Lee Siong also said some years ago, government buildings were exempted from obtaining the certificate of fitness (CF) and certificate of completion and compliance (CCC).
Khen said the fact that government buildings constructed during the 1980s and 1990s most probably used cladding should sound alarm bells for the government.
“Government buildings are attractive targets.”
Recently, a fire also broke out at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine at Hospital Kuala Lumpur.
The cause of the fire is still unknown.
Flammable cladding blamed for rapid spread of fire at EPF building