A 40-year-old man who was rescued from a burning Bukit Batok Housing Board flat in the early hours of last Thursday has died in hospital.

The Sunday Times understands that the man, who had third-degree burns on 40 per cent of his body, died at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) yesterday afternoon.

He had been in a coma since the incident due to a lack of oxygen to his brain.

Police are investigating the unnatural death.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said yesterday that preliminary investigations indicated the fire was accidental and was linked to three burnt personal mobility devices in the unit.

Firefighters rescued the man and his wife, who were trapped in their flat on the 26th floor of Block 293D Bukit Batok Street 21, at 12.40am on Thursday.

Officers wearing breathing apparatus cut through the iron gate and prised open the wooden front door to find the man unconscious, SCDF had said.

The man was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and later transferred to the intensive care unit at SGH. His wife, who was also found in the flat, was taken to SGH for smoke inhalation.

The Sunday Times spoke to residents in the area, who said that the couple lived in the unit with a dog and a parrot. They have no children.

Chinese-language newspaper Shin Min Daily News reported yesterday that the couple had escaped the fire by climbing onto the air-conditioner ledge, but the man dashed back into the burning flat to save his pets. He later fell unconscious near the toilet.

Neighbours said the man got along well with other residents and was always cheerful. He was an animal lover and had previously kept several parrots, they added.