KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 13): The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) has reassured the public that its member and employer services have not been affected by the fire incident and that all transactions can be conducted as per normal at its other branches nationwide, or online via the iAkaun app.

In a statement today, the pension fund's chief executive officer Datuk Shahril Ridza Ridzuan also said it will conduct an immediate investigation into the cause of the fire at its Petaling Jaya branch earlier today.

It will also assess safety measures on all of its other buildings and branches nationwide.

"We apologise to all who were affected by the incident and are grateful to the fire department who responded so quickly and managed to contain the blaze within 30 minutes,” he said.

The Fire and Rescue Services Department's deputy director-general was reported as saying the fire was ignited by a spark on the external cladding of the building.

“We are very concerned that our external cladding could have been the cause of the fire and will certainly extend our fullest cooperation to the authorities,” Shahril said.

“Even though the fire only affected the external part of the building, I have instructed the PJ branch to be closed until all necessary actions have been taken to ensure the building is safe,” he added.