SINGAPORE - A 46-year-old woman has been arrested for setting fire to the main gate and door of a Housing Board (HDB) unit in Tampines on Wednesday (Nov 15) morning, the police said in a press release.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to the fire at Block 240, Tampines Street 21, at about 6.35am.

It sent a pair of fire engines, a red rhino, a pair of fire bikes, an ambulance and a support vehicle to the scene. The fire was put out using a water jet.

Three women, aged between 19 and 31, were rescued from the unit and taken conscious to Changi General Hospital for smoke inhalation.

About 30 residents had also been evacuated by police and SCDF.

Officers from Bedok Police Division figured the suspect's identity following extensive ground enquiries and and the use of CCTV footage, and arrested her on the same day within 10 hours of the report.

Preliminary investigations showed that one of the residents in the unit was a former tenant of the suspect who had moved out earlier this year, causing her to be disgruntled.

The Straits Times understands that the fire broke out at a fifth-floor rental unit. The three victims are said to be all Malaysians, with two working as air stewardesses and one as an engineer.

The suspect will be charged on Thursday for the offence of mischief by fire under section 435 of the Penal Code, chapter 224.

Anyone found guilty can be jailed up to seven years, and fined.