By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Oct 23: A lorry carrying an unidentified chemical substance was completely destroyed after it caught fire near Vista Perdana along the Miri Bypass late yesterday night (Oct 22).
The Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) received an emergency call at 11.16pm and immediately dispatched teams from the Lopeng and Miri Sentral fire stations to the scene.
Upon arrival, firefighters discovered a lorry engulfed in flames, believed to be carrying a highly corrosive liquid chemical.
Despite facing hazardous conditions, they successfully brought the blaze under control using water and foam from a safe distance while wearing full protective equipment.
No casualties were reported.
According to the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Operations Centre, the truck driver escaped unharmed but was unable to provide details about the cargo, as all transport documents, including the chemical manifest, were destroyed in the fire.
The incident caused several firefighters’ boots to corrode after coming into contact with the unknown chemical, which was later confirmed to be acidic in nature.
The operation area was secured to prevent public access and ensure the safety of nearby motorists and residents.
Following the containment of the fire, the department’s Hazardous Materials (Hazmat) unit from Bintulu, comprising 10 personnel, arrived at the scene around 6.10am to conduct further analysis.
Preliminary tests using litmus paper and a pH meter revealed that the liquid had a pH level of 2, indicating strong acidity.
Hazmat personnel proceeded to dilute and neutralise the contaminated area with water jets before conducting a full decontamination process to ensure environmental safety.
The decontamination operation was completed at 7.05am, marking the official end of the incident response.
Authorities are now working to identify the chemical substance and determine the cause of the fire. —DayakDaily
