Malaysia rules out arson as cause of Petronas Twin Towers fire

Malaysia rules out arson as cause of Twin Towers fire

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 (AFP) - Malaysia Saturday ruled out arson as the
cause of a fire in a shopping mall at the capital's famed Petronas Twin
Towers that forced the evacuation of hundreds of people from a cinema
complex there.

The fire broke out around midnight on Friday in a stairwell near a
restaurant in the Suria mall, a popular tourist spot filled with high-
end boutiques and a cinema multiplex.

Choking smoke drifted into auditoriums two floors above, terrifying
hundreds of moviegoers who were catching late night screenings.

"It's not arson, definitely not arson," said fire squad
superintendent Zul Fahmi Sutaji.

He said the restaurant owner had put a variety of items, including
kitchen fans, on the landing which may have contributed to the fire.

"The restaurant owner put kitchen materials on the landing and we
believe the fire started from there," Zul Fahmi told AFP.

Forensic investigators were still working the scene and the
definitive cause of the blaze would only be know in a few days, he added.

The glass and steel Twin Towers, which mainly house corporate
offices, were largely empty at the time of the fire. The six-level
crescent-shaped Suria shopping centre forms the base of the 88-storey
towers.

The 452-metre (1,483-foot) Twin Towers were the world's tallest
buildings until they were upstaged by the 509-metre-high Taipei 101 in
Taiwan's capital.

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