The Bright Sparklers fireworks disaster occurred on 7 May 1991 at 3:45 pm MST in

Sungai Buloh Sungai Buloh, or Sungei Buloh, is a town, a mukim (commune) and a Dewan Rakyat, parliamentary constituency in the northern part of Petaling District, Selangor, Malaysia. The name itself means ''bamboo river'' in the Malay language. It is located ...

Selangor Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. A massive

explosion An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume of a given amount of matter associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Explosions may also be generated ...

at the Bright Sparklers

fireworks Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...

factory caused 26 deaths, 103 injuries, and the destruction of 46 homes, damaging 149 others. The blast, audible 7–8 km away, was nicknamed the "Hiroshima of Sungai Buloh" by local media due to its devastating impact. The disaster led to significant regulatory changes, including the temporary closure of fireworks factories and the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994.

Background

Bright Sparklers Sdn. Bhd., established on 26 November 1973 and operational since 1 April 1974, was located in a rural area 30 km from Sungai Buloh’s population center. The factory imported, exported, and manufactured fireworks, including hand-held sparklers, Roman candles,

fountains A fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were o ...

, and

rockets A rocket (from , and so named for its shape) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using any surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...

. It exported significant quantities to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, with RM 1.57 million in exports between January and April 1991. The facility was insured against fire for RM 1.5 million, with the manager holding a RM 50,000 personal accident policy. The factory operated illegally without a valid manufacturing license since 1978, lacked permits for storing explosives, and employed underage workers, violating Malaysian labor laws. It was not built to safety specifications, and raw materials and finished products were stored unsafely on-site. Ownership included a Hong Kong-based company, 10 Malaysian individuals, local private companies, and Singaporean stakeholders.

Explosion and fire

On 7 May 1991, at 3:45 pm, an explosion occurred at the Bright Sparklers factory, triggered by a Hong Kong chemist’s negligence during fireworks testing in the factory canteen. Explosive chemicals spilled, igniting a fire that spread to a nearby pile of large firecrackers ("bazookas"), causing a chain reaction. A second explosion followed 10 minutes later, and a third, the most powerful, occurred at 4:00 pm, felt 4 km away. Over 20 explosions ensued, with smoke visible 8 km away. The blasts destroyed the factory and nearby Kampung Baru Sungai Buloh, collapsing homes, shattering windows up to 7 km away in Seri Menjalara and

Selayang Selayang is a town in Gombak District, Selangor, Malaysia. Location Selayang is located on the main route to Rawang through Jalan Ipoh, and this route is connected to Jalan Kuching as main Rawang-Kuala Lumpur route. It is also an option ...

, and damaging adjacent factories. Vehicles, including cars and motorcycles, were destroyed, and the nearby Sungai Buloh Military Camp was affected. Workers fled, but many were injured or killed by debris, heat, or collapsing structures. Firefighters faced challenges due to low water pressure, distant hydrants, rapid fire spread, and ongoing explosions. Nine ambulances from

Kuala Lumpur Hospital Kuala Lumpur General Hospital (, abbr: ''HKL'') is the largest Malaysian government-owned public hospital and higher specialised hospital in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Hospital opened in 1870, HKL is a not-for-profit ...

and University of Malaya Medical Centre transported victims, with civilians using trucks and vans to assist. Toxic gas from chemical reactions during cleanup posed health risks, affecting over 50 rescuers with breathing difficulties and skin irritation.

Aftermath

The disaster left 26 dead, 103 injured, and 260 people displaced. 46 homes were destroyed, and 149 others were damaged. Two Bright Sparklers subsidiaries in Rawang and

Hulu Langat Hulu Langat District is a district of Malaysia located in the southeastern corner of Selangor, between Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan. It is bordered by the state of Pahang to the east and north, Gombak district to the north-west, Federal Ter ...

were closed. The

state government established the Sungai Buloh Fire Relief Fund with an initial RM 10,000, raising RM 833,538.45 by 1 June 1991. The

Malaysian Red Crescent Society The Malaysian Red Crescent (MRC) () is a voluntary humanitarian organization that seeks to promote humanitarian values, as well as provide service and public education in disaster management, as well as healthcare in the community. It is part o ...

set up a relief center at Bukit Komuniti Sungai Buloh. PERKESO provided compensation to victims’ families, despite incomplete employee records, covering 84 claims, including 59 for temporary disability. Cleanup efforts, including “Operasi Api Buluh” on 16 May, uncovered underground explosive stores, two of which had exploded, leaving 6-meter-deep craters. Toxic gas persisted, with seven rescuers fainting and residents reporting foul odors.

Investigation and government response

Royal Commission of Inquiry A royal commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue in some monarchies. They have been held in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Malaysia, Mauritius and Saudi Arabia. In republics an equiva ...

(RCI) investigated the disaster, finding that Bright Sparklers violated regulations by operating on agricultural land, lacking manufacturing and explosives licenses, and employing underage workers. The fire originated in the laboratory during fireworks testing. The Ministry of Human Resources investigated underage employment, and the Department of Environment tested air toxicity, finding no health risks, though rescuers reported illnesses. The disaster prompted the temporary closure of all fireworks factories in Malaysia and the establishment of the HAZMAT unit in 1992. The Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 was passed to improve workplace safety. Prime Minister

Mahathir Mohamad Mahathir bin Mohamad (; ; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author and doctor who was respectively the fourth and seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia, prime minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003 and from 2018 to 2020. He was the ...

called for a review of hazardous industries. In 2006, 118 families settled lawsuits against the government and factory owner for RM 30,000 in property damages. The

Royal Malaysia Police The Royal Malaysia Police (often abbreviated RMP) (; Jawi script, Jawi: ), is a (primarily) uniformed national and federal police force in Malaysia. The force is a centralised organisation, and its headquarters are located at Bukit Aman, Kuala ...

considered legal action against the factory owners for storing explosives without permits.

Memorial

In 1998, a

Chinese pavilion A Chinese pavilion ( Chinese 亭, pinyin ''tíng'') is a garden pavilion in traditional Chinese architecture. While often found within temples, pavilions are not exclusively religious structures. Many Chinese parks and gardens feature pavilions t ...

-style memorial was erected near the site, close to Kampung Selamat MRT station. It features three memorial stones inscribed in Malay,

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

, and

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

, commemorating the victims.

In popular culture

On 30 May 2012,

TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to: Television *Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso * Canal 3 Niger, a commercial television channel in Niger * Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala * Can ...

’s documentary series '' Detik Tragik'' aired an episode titled “Hiroshima Sungai Buloh,” featuring interviews with survivors and firefighters involved in the disaster.

References

External Links

* * {{Fireworks accidents and incidents 1991 in Malaysia Explosions in 1991 Fireworks accidents and incidents Industrial fires and explosions 1990s fires in Asia 1991 fires 1991 industrial disasters May 1991 in Asia Explosions in Malaysia 1991 disasters in Malaysia