Two children and three adults were taken to hospital after a fire broke out at a Housing Board flat on the 14th floor of Block 104D Canberra Street yesterday afternoon.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said on Facebook that it is investigating the cause of the fire but preliminary findings indicate that the fire may have originated from the battery pack of a personal mobility device that was in the flat.

The SCDF, which was alerted at 4.15pm, rescued two boys who were trapped in a bedroom and sent them to KK Women's and Children's Hospital to be treated for burn injuries. The three adults were sent to Singapore General Hospital and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital after suffering smoke inhalation.

As the lifts were not functioning, firefighters with their air cylinders had to lug their equipment up the stairs to reach the site.

The SCDF said that the living room was engulfed in flames but the fire was extinguished within 15 minutes using a water jet and compressed air foam backpacks.

The Sunday Times understands that an off-duty section commander from Tuas View fire station was among a group who had tried to put out the fire before the SCDF arrived.

A resident on the second floor, who wanted to be known only as Roy, said he heard shouting from the multi-storey carpark opposite the block. He added that he saw four fire engines and two ambulances present.

Noel Low