SINGAPORE - A taxi driver was charged in court on Monday with mischief by fire for torching his unit in Choa Chu Kang last Saturday .

Koh Chong Huat, 44, is alleged to have used a lighter to set fire to the mattress in the master bedroom of his four-room HDB flat in Choa Chu Kang Drive at about 6.30pm that day.

He has been remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for psychiatric assessment.

He will return to court on Aug 17.

The fire caused about 40 residents to be evacuated from the block. No one was injured and the blaze was put out by a water jet.

If convicted, Koh faces a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine.