SINGAPORE – A fire broke out in a five-room Housing Board flat in Punggol on Saturday morning.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to a fire at Block 641A Punggol Drive at about 11.10am. The fire broke out in a bedroom in the second-floor unit.
About 55 people from the affected block had evacuated before SCDF arrived.
The fire was extinguished using a water jet and there were no reported injuries.
Preliminary investigation into the cause of the fire indicates that it was of electrical origin, SCDF said.
The flat’s owner, Tengku Abrahim, 49, told Lianhe Zaobao he was not home when the fire broke out. He said he does not know what caused the fire in the master bedroom.
His 90-year-old father-in-law, who has limited mobility, was in the room at the time, he said. Fortunately, his brother and nephew managed to move the elderly man to a neighbour’s unit in time.
The owner’s brother, Tengku Sulong, 64, told Lianhe Zaobao that they used a fire extinguisher, but could not put out the fire even after using up the whole canister.
According to the Chinese daily, the brothers are the sixth-generation descendants of Sultan Hussein Shah, the first sultan of Singapore in the 19th century.
In a post on Facebook on Saturday, Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP Yeo Wan Ling said her team is supporting the affected family.
To prevent electrical fires from occurring, SCDF advises the public to adopt the following practices:
- Never overload electrical outlets with appliances.
- Always switch off appliances when they are not in use.
- Check the condition of wires regularly, and replace or repair frayed wires or cracked cords immediately.
- Do not run wires under carpets or mats, and keep wires away from hot surfaces.
- Use appliances and electrical plugs bearing the Safety Mark. The categories of appliances can be found at www.consumerproductsafety.gov.sg
- Do not leave batteries or devices to charge unattended for an extended period of time or overnight.
