About 50 residents evacuated after clothes dryer in Yishun condo catches fire; 1 taken to hospital
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Preliminary investigations showed that the fire was caused by an electrical issue with the dryer.
PHOTOS: SCDF/FACEBOOK
SINGAPORE - About 50 residents were evacuated, and one person was taken to hospital after a condominium unit in Yishun caught fire on May 28.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post on May 28 that it was alerted at about 11.40am to a fire at 93 Yishun Street 81, which is where Orchid Park Condominium is located.
Firefighters from Yishun Fire Station and Ang Mo Kio Fire Station arrived to see black smoke billowing out of a third-floor unit there, SCDF said.
SCDF added that no one was in the apartment at that time, and its firefighters forced their way inside.
A dryer and a washing machine in the apartment’s service yard were on fire, it said, adding that the fire was put out with a water jet.
About 50 residents from neighbouring units were evacuated by the police and SCDF as a precaution. SCDF said one person was taken to Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation.
Preliminary investigations showed that the fire was caused by an electrical issue with the dryer.
To prevent electrical fires, the SCDF urged the public not to overload electrical outlets with appliances and to always switch them off when not in use.
They should check the condition of wires regularly, and replace or repair frayed or cracked wires.
SCDF also advised the public not to run wires under carpets or mats, and to keep them away from hot surfaces.
The public should use appliances and electrical plugs with the Safety Mark, and not use faulty appliances.
According to figures released by the SCDF in February, there were more fires in 2023, with the 1,954 cases representing a nearly 10 per cent increase from the 1,799 cases in 2022.
The top two causes were electrical fires and unattended cooking, with 597 and 456 cases, respectively.
