Wisma Jakel fire: The presence of a K9 unit is not unusual
BERNAMA
January 2, 2023 15:34 MYTH
Wisma Jakel fire: The presence of a K9 unit is not unusual
JBPM member Assan John (left) and friend Jovesster Junil (right) carry the K9 unit's sniffer dog Rusty during a follow-up investigation of a fire at a leading Jakel textile store in the Shah Alam branch at Wisma Jakel, in Shah Alam. - BERNAMA photo
SHAH ALAM: The presence of the K9 Detection Dog Unit (K9 unit) is not unusual in fire forensic investigations, rather it is a necessary procedure to investigate the cause of an incident.
Assistant Director of the Investigation Division, Director of the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) Selangor Norizham Mohd Nurdin said that for every fire case that involves an investigation, the K9 unit will be called because it is one of the investigative procedures.
"Not every fire, when we call the K9 unit there will be an element of deliberate burning. No. It is our decision to ensure that this unit is called to look at all possibilities," he told reporters at the scene of the incident today.
He also explained that two dogs from the English Springer Spaniel breed named Rusty and Sam that were moved today do have expertise in investigating fires.
"These dogs are focused every time during the operation and they will be brought down in pairs. One will look for the element (cause) and the other for confirmation. It will help us (find the cause)," he said.
"The two dogs are now investigating and focusing on the first floor where the fire is believed to have started. In addition, there are 50 members and officers from the Shah Alam Fire and Rescue Station, Kota Anggerik and the Selangor Fire Headquarters are also on duty today," he said.
Norizham said the pair of dogs that were moved today were not the same dogs that were used in the previous landslide incident at Father's Organic Farm, Batang Kali because they had different expertise.
In addition, Norizham said the investigation into the fire was carried out based on the structure of the building, witnesses and videos uploaded by members of the public on social media.
He said, his party will also record the testimony of the caller who saw the initial position of the fire during the fire to help the investigation.
When asked by reporters about the alleged fire caused by a short circuit, Norizham insisted that any cause would only be known after laboratory tests were carried out, i.e. after the investigation process at the scene of the incident was completed.
