An area the size of a football field was cordoned off for six hours in Ang Mo Kio on Tuesday after a flaming cylindrical object was tossed into a hawker centre, sparking panic.

According to a report in Lianhe Wanbao yesterday, there were over 50 police officers at the scene.

The incident took place at Block 226 in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, where Kebun Baru Food Centre is located.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force was alerted at 4.40pm and it sent a fire engine to the scene. The fire was extinguished by two hawkers before the vehicle arrived.

No one was injured in the case of mischief by fire, according to police. Investigations are ongoing.

The Straits Times understands that no arrests have been made yet.

The object was thrown from 50m outside the hawker centre by an unidentified person, reported Lianhe Wanbao.

Stall vendors were preparing for the dinner crowd when they heard a loud sound.

One of them said he saw a ball of light heading towards his stall, and he was frightened and worried that it would explode.

According to Lianhe Wanbao, he then used a metal hook from the fruit stall to hit it away.

It started burning after it landed under a table, and had to be extinguished by two hawkers with a fire extinguisher.