The Kuala Lumpur fire and rescue department said it received an emergency call via the NG999 system alerting authorities to the incident at the Tiffani Kiara condominium.

Upon their arrival, firefighters found a unit on the 26th floor engulfed in flames.

“Efforts to put out the fire and carry out rescue operations were hampered by a malfunctioning building fire prevention system, forcing firefighters to rely on two portable pumps and a fire engine pump to channel water to the affected floor,” the department said in a statement.

Rescue personnel discovered a man on the balcony with full-body burns.

He was pronounced dead at the scene by health ministry medical officers.

The fire was fully extinguished at 2.03am, with an estimated 1,500 sq feet of the unit destroyed.

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.