5 taken to hospital, ATMs hit by power outage after Hougang coffee shop fire
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Several stalls in a coffee shop at Block 106 Hougang Avenue 1 caught fire early on May 5.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
SINGAPORE – Five people were taken to hospital after a fire broke out at a coffee shop in Hougang in the early hours of May 5, disrupting power supply to some nearby businesses and services.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire at Block 106 Hougang Avenue 1 at about 4.50am.
“Several stalls within the coffee shop were on fire,” said SCDF, describing the scene upon its arrival. It added that the fire was extinguished with two water jets.
About 40 people evacuated the premises before the SCDF arrived. Five people were taken to Singapore General Hospital after being assessed for smoke inhalation.
Photos of the scene taken by Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao show the interiors of the coffee shop covered in black soot, with tables and chairs blanketed in ashes and debris.
The facades of 12 HDB flats across three levels above the coffee shop were also charred by the fire, the Chinese daily reported.
The facade of 12 HDB flats across three levels above the coffee shop were also charred by the fire, according to news reports.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Mr Lai Kai Xiang, a 39-year-old fitness trainer living nearby, told Lianhe Zaobao he heard that a stall assistant had been preparing food when the fire happened. He was not sure which stall the assistant was from.
A grocery store, a hair salon, a clinic and a hardware store at the HDB block were unable to operate, and ATMs at the block were out of service, because of power supply disruptions caused by the fire, the Chinese newspaper reported.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
In response to queries, the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) said at about 6pm on May 5 that power supply had been restored to affected residential units.
“An assessment of the damage to common property will be carried out, after which the necessary rectification works will be undertaken,” it said.
The town council said it has also been reaching out to affected households and commercial units to offer assistance.
In a Facebook post, Aljunied GRC MP Sylvia Lim said she and AHTC vice-chairman Dennis Tan had visited affected households in the afternoon.
“AHTC has been working hard with its contractors and agencies such as HDB to restore normalcy and services. Many thanks too to SPF and SCDF for the tremendous work done,” she added.
In its annual statistics report released in February, SCDF said the total number of fires increased by 3 per cent to 2,050 in 2025 – up from 1,990 in 2024. Of these, more than half involved fires in residential buildings.
Unattended cooking and electrical fires – including faults in electrical wiring or overloaded sockets – remained the top two causes of home fires.
