Fire breaks out at Downtown Line 2 worksite in Little India

A fire broke out on Thursday night along Race Course Road at a worksite where the Little India station of the Downtown Line 2 is being constructed. -- ST PHOTO: RAVI VELLOOR
A fire broke out on Thursday night along Race Course Road at a worksite where the Little India station of the Downtown Line 2 is being constructed. -- ST PHOTO: RAVI VELLOOR
Firefighters putting out the fire at the Downtown Line 2 worksite in Little India on Wednesday night. -- PHOTO: SCDF

A fire broke out on Wednesday night along Race Course Road at a worksite where the Little India station of the Downtown Line 2 is being constructed.

The small fire, which started at about 9.30pm, affected a localised area within the worksite, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA), which oversees the construction of all MRT stations. No injures were reported, and the fire which was put out by 10pm, did not impact the progress of construction at the site, said an LTA spokesman.

A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesman said the fire involved three large metal containers at the site and it was extinguished using three water jets.

When The Straits Times arrived at the scene at about 10.20pm, firefighters were seen hosing down the affected area which was still smouldering. At least two containers within the worksite affected were visibly charred.

Security guards Ms Kavitah Muniandi and Mr Kumaran Karunakaran told The Straits Times that they were in one of these containers at about 9.40pm when the power tripped.

"The lights suddenly went out and there was a burning smell," said Ms Kavitah, 37. "Then we heard some workers outside shouting 'fire, fire', and we rushed out."

The guards said that there were about 30 workers on the night shift at the site when the fire broke out. Mr Kumaran, 48, added: "The fire spread to one container which had gas cylinders. There were small explosion sounds that went 'pop'."

Little India resident Ms Stella Seetoh, 50, said she was having a shower in her flat in the nearby Block 668 when her son heard a loud boom coming from the site.

Ms Seetoh, who works as a clerk, added that the smoke had a pungent odour.

The SCDF spokesman added that the cause of the fire is being investigated.

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