SINGAPORE - A fire broke out in the living room of a five-room unit on the 11th floor of Block 71, Marine Drive on Tuesday evening, trapping a woman inside the bedroom.

Madam Lou, who owns the unit, said that she received a call at about 6.40pm from her frantic daughter who said their house was on fire.

"I thought that she was joking," said the administrative officer who was on her way home from work.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted at about the same time. Its officers reached the scene at 6.47pm, and put out the fire some 10 minutes later.

One officer carried Madam Lou's daughter, who is in her 20s, to the foot of the block. She was brought to Changi General Hospital for smoke inhalation.

Their neighbour Madam Ang, who stays on the 23rd floor, said she saw thick plumes of smoke coming out of the unit at about 6.40pm. The fire had started in a cabinet with a circuit breaker.

"I was coming back from my walk," said the 70-year-old retiree. "I was very scared because I didn't know what was going on. Then I saw my other neighbours who told me there was a fire."

The SCDF is investigating the cause of the fire.