Braving smoke to help neighbour in need
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Madam Lim Ee Chin, 81, came to her neighbours' rescue and helped them put out a fire in their Housing Board flat, despite being afraid of the flames.
LIM EE CHIN
Retiree Lim Ee Chin had just watched the National Day Parade on television when she spotted her neighbour's flat on fire at about 11.20pm, and instinctively knew she had to do something to help.
Madam Lim, 81, braved billowing smoke to fill buckets of water in her bathroom and drag them across the living room floor to her front gate so that her neighbour could douse the flames raging in the Block 917 Jurong West Street 91 flat.
Despite having a curved spine and heart trouble, as well as pleas from her sister whom she lives with to leave for her safety, Madam Lim showed no hesitation in helping a neighbour in serious trouble.
"Of course I had to help. When I saw their house burning, it hurt my heart," said Madam Lim, who used to work at a tin factory. "They didn't set the fire on purpose. What if they have no house to live in?"
She added that she could not recall how many pails of water she fetched on the night of Aug 9, but "it felt like an hour that would never end".
With the help of other neighbours, most of the fire was put out before the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) arrived.
After they left, Madam Lim spent the next few hours mopping up her flat.
Her selfless effort made her the oldest recipient of the SCDF Community First Responder Award, which was conferred on Aug 27.
The award is given to members of the public who lend a hand to those in trouble.
Madam Lim does not see her actions as anything special.
"It is just what neighbours do for each other, there is no need to make a big fuss over it."
