A colossal fire erupted on Tuesday in a Malaysian suburb outside Kuala Lumpur, prompting evacuations of nearby homes.

The towering inferno near a petrol station in Putra Heights in central Selangor state was visible for many miles. Authorities said 33 people were injured. Six were sent to hospital for treatment.

Pictures and videos of the fireball went viral on social media, with some residents saying they felt the doors and windows of their homes shaking due to the explosion of fire.

Dozens of Selangor firefighters were sent to the scene. Department director Wan Mohamad Razali Wan Ismail was cited by The Star English-language newspaper as saying that firefighters on the ground identified a burst pipeline as the cause of the fire.

Malaysian state energy firm Petronas confirmed in a statement that a gas pipeline it operated had caught fire. It said the pipeline had been isolated.

A large flame rose from a leak in a pipeline that is around 500 metres (1,640 feet) long in the town of Puchong, the Selangor fire department said in a statement, adding that Petronas had closed the valve on the burning pipeline.

The fire department said it was still investigating the extent of the spread of fire in the residential area.