9 residents evacuated after fire breaks out in bedroom of Yishun flat; no one injured

A total of nine residents were evacuated from an Yishun Housing Board flat after a fire broke out on April 20, 2018. PHOTO: ST READER
The fire involving contents in the bedroom of an Yishun Housing Board flat was put out by the Singapore Civil Defence Force using a water jet. PHOTO: ST READER

SINGAPORE - A fire broke out in the bedroom of an Yishun Housing Board flat in the wee hours of Friday (April 20).

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told The Straits Times that it was alerted to the fire at Block 167 Yishun Ring Road at about 12.50am.

The fire involving contents of the bedroom was put out by SCDF using a water jet.

The Straits Times understands that the fire involved the battery of an electric bike.

There were no injuries and the cause of the fire is under investigation, SCDF said.

ST understands that nine residents were evacuated from the block, including those living near the affected unit on the seventh storey.

Facebook user Tyler Toh said in a group for personal mobility device users that the e-bike belonged to his father. He and a few of his family members managed to escape from the unit in time after the fire broke out in the master bedroom.

He said they had initially tried to put the fire out with a towel but the battery had exploded "a few more times", before the flames reached his bed.

A photo sent to ST shows plumes of black smoke rising from the flat. Residents could also be seen gathering along the corridor.

On Tuesday (April 24), Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said in a Facebook post that he had visited Mr Toh and his family members together with senior grassroots leaders.

Mr Shanmugam, who is also a Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC, added that SCDF officers responded quickly to put out the fire, while the Nee Soon Town Council also helped in the aftermath.

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