30 Bishan residents evacuated after manhole emits black smoke, loud noise
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Using a thermal imager, firefighters who arrived at the scene detected a heat signature being emitted from a nearby manhole.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
SINGAPORE – Some 30 residents in Bishan were evacuated on Wednesday morning after reports of explosive sounds coming from a manhole.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it received a call for assistance near 34 Binchang Rise – an area near Bishan Street 21 lined with private properties – at about 11.20am.
Using a thermal imager, firefighters who arrived at the scene detected a heat signature being emitted from a nearby manhole.
Although there was no fire, burn marks were found on the insulation sleeves of some electrical cables inside the manhole, SCDF said.
The Straits Times understands that the cables are used for telecommunication purposes.
Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao reported on the same day that, besides firefighters, officers from the SCDF’s hazardous material response team and Singapore Police Force were also at the scene.
They pumped water into the manhole to cool it down, and used a hazardous-substance detector to determine if there were any dangerous substances present.
A resident who gave his surname as Chen was quoted as saying that his family heard loud noises akin to explosions at about 11.10am, which prompted him to leave his home to check. “The manhole cover didn’t fly out, but black smoke kept coming out of the sewer,” said the man, who is in his 50s.
No one was hurt, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
