As Malaysia builds higher, questions grow over high-rise fire safety

AT A GLANCE

• Rising Risks: High-rise fires are increasingly driven by human behaviour and ageing infrastructure, with 867 cases recorded in apartments and condominiums last year alone.
• Response Gaps: While the Fire and Rescue Department targets a 10-minute response time, urban density and accessibility issues can stretch arrival times up to 22 minutes in areas like Mont Kiara.
• Structural Shift: Malaysia is transitioning to a self-regulation model in 2027, making Fire Safety Managers mandatory for designated high-risk premises to ensure continuous compliance.
• Enforcement Surge: Authorities have set a target of 850 high-rise inspections for 2026, backed by new regulations requiring all fire equipment to meet strict national and international standards.

WITH more Malaysians living in high-rise homes than ever before, concerns are mounting over whether ageing infrastructure, uneven enforcement and human behaviour are leaving cities vulnerable when fires break out dozens of floors above ground.

Experts say the risk rarely begins with structural collapse, but with everyday incidents - electrical faults, unattended cooking, overloaded sockets and ageing wiring that struggles to meet modern energy demand.

Fire and Rescue Department fire safety division director Datuk Norazam Khamis said human behaviour and maintenance gaps remain the leading causes of apartment and condominium fires.

Last year alone, 867 such cases were recorded nationwide.

“Many older buildings still rely on outdated wiring systems. When these are used with multiple high-powered appliances, the risk of short circuits and fires increases significantly,” he said.

He added that cooking incidents in high-density units can escalate rapidly, particularly in poorly ventilated spaces.

Beyond ignition sources, Norazam warned that system failures can determine whether a fire is contained or becomes catastrophic.

“A building may pass inspection today, but if the fire pump fails tomorrow and it is not repaired, the building immediately becomes a potential death trap,” he said.

Modern high-rise buildings are equipped with layered fire protection systems designed to contain incidents before they spread. These include automatic sprinkler systems, wet risers supplying pressurised water to every floor, high-pressure fire pumps for upper levels, hose reels for immediate response and fire lifts designed to transport firefighters quickly to affected floors.

Even with these systems in place, effectiveness depends heavily on how quickly external responders can arrive.

In Kuala Lumpur’s KLCC area, six fire stations provide coverage with response times of about nine to 11 minutes. In Mont Kiara, coverage ranges between six and 22 minutes depending on traffic. Similar variations are seen in Johor Bahru and Penang’s Bayan Lepas region.

The department targets a 10-minute response time, but actual arrival depends on accessibility and urban density.

This makes early containment systems within buildings critical.

Norazam agreed that many fire risks are worsened not by design flaws, but by human interference. Some residents alter safety features such as removing fire-rated doors, installed iron grilles that obstruct escape routes or block evacuation routes, remove fire-rated doors, install iron grilles that obstruct escape routes.

“These actions may seem minor, but during an emergency they can block evacuation routes and slow down rescue efforts,” Norazam said.

Poor management can further compromise safety through blocked exits, unclear evacuation procedures and unauthorised modifications that weaken the building’s original fire safety design.

The department has also expanded specialised training in high-rise firefighting and smoke management, conducting 88 programmes between 2023 and 2025 involving more than 2,100 personnel. A further 35 sessions are planned for 2026.

Despite this, manpower remains a structural challenge.

Malaysia has about 15,000 firefighters serving a population of 34.3 million - roughly one firefighter for every 2,286 people, a ratio below several developed countries.

Fire safety enforcement is also changing structurally.

For years, physical inspections across thousands of buildings created backlogs.

In a parliamentary reply, Housing and Local Government deputy minister Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu said enforcement is being strengthened.

Between 2023 and 2025, 1,537 inspections were conducted nationwide, with 416 premises found non-compliant, resulting in 7,648 notices issued. A target of 850 inspections has been set for 2026.

From 2027, Malaysia will transition to a self-regulation system requiring Fire Safety Managers as part of certification requirements.

However, compliance challenges remain, particularly in documentation accuracy, maintenance records and alignment between building design and regulatory standards.

Non-compliance can result in fines of up to RM50,000, imprisonment or closure orders under the Fire Services Act 1988.

In practice, some building owners only encounter these consequences when business licences are affected or insurance claims are rejected.

Older high-rise buildings present a separate challenge.

Under Malaysia’s non-retrospective building laws, structures built before key regulatory updates are generally not required to meet current technical standards, though they must maintain basic functional safety.

Retrofitting remains uneven, particularly in older or low-cost housing developments where system upgrades are costly and complex.

High-risk buildings are typically inspected at least once a year, while fire systems such as alarms, sprinklers and smoke control systems must undergo routine monthly, quarterly and annual testing by building management and certified contractors.

However, fire drills for residential high-rises are not mandatory and depend on management initiative.

As a result, many residents rely on assumed safety rather than practical preparedness.

Norazam said the department has also introduced public awareness campaigns, including household fire safety programmes encouraging smoke detectors, extinguishers and basic emergency readiness.

Malaysia’s fire safety framework is broadly aligned with international standards, anchored by the Uniform Building By-Laws 1984 (amended 2021) and the Fire Services Act 1988.

Buildings above 40 floors or 120 metres must be equipped with full fire safety systems, including sprinklers, alarms, hose reels and control centres.

Experts stress that no system is fully effective without consistent maintenance and responsible behaviour.

Sprinklers remain one of the most effective safeguards in high-rise fires, significantly reducing fatalities by controlling fires before they spread.

“Fire safety is a shared responsibility. The behaviour of residents can determine whether a fire remains a small incident or becomes a major tragedy,” Norazam said.