The blaze, which broke out in the building along Horne Road, was contained in the living room.

Singapore Civil Defence Force officers put it out within eight minutes.

Besides the 21-year-old man who was taken to hospital, eight women living in the flat above his unit were evacuated as a safety precaution.

When The Straits Times arrived at the scene, there appeared to be little evidence of a fire, save for a fire engine parked out front and firemen with soot-covered faces.

The building, built in the late 1950s, appeared intact, with no blackened walls or broken windows.

A woman on the fourth floor who refused to be named said: 'My maid was taking the rubbish out when she heard someone shout 'Fire! Fire!'.'

Smoke was then blowing out into the stairwell from the main door of the affected flat.

Other residents of the block said foreigners from Malaysia, India and China are renting flats in the building.

It is common for up to 10 people to share a flat, a resident said.

The SCDF is investigating the cause of the fire.