Elderly woman dies after fire in Bukit Panjang flat on Sept 28

SINGAPORE – A 77-year-old woman who was taken unconscious to hospital after a fire in a Bukit Panjang flat on Sept 28 has died, the police said on Sept 30.

This would make it the sixth death from a fire since July 28.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a social media post on Sept 28 that it was alerted to the fire at Block 126 Pending Road at about 3pm that day.

When its officers arrived at the scene, black smoke was coming out of a unit on the sixth floor.

The fire involved items in the living room, said SCDF, adding that the cause of the fire was under investigation.

The fire was extinguished using one water jet.

Firefighters found an unconscious person in the living room during the firefighting operation, and took the person out of the unit.

An SCDF paramedic and emergency medical technicians performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation before the person was taken to Woodlands Hospital.

A 62-year-old man from a neighbouring unit was assessed for smoke inhalation and taken conscious to Singapore General Hospital, the police and SCDF said.

About 70 people from the affected block were evacuated as a precaution.

When The Straits Times arrived at the scene on Sept 30 at about 9.15am, the smell of the smoke was still strong.

The affected unit, which is next to the lift on the sixth floor, had a white sheet draped from the door, which was ajar, to a pole outside.

The ceiling outside the unit was completely black and the walls were covered in soot. There was a lot of debris, as well as pails on what seemed to be a table.

A resident who lives opposite the dead woman’s flat recalled feeling frightened when she smelled smoke on the day of the fire.

The woman, who is in her 70s and is unable to walk quickly, said: “I was so scared I started to cry since I was alone at home. My heart was beating so fast. I grabbed my trolley to help me walk better. But luckily, other neighbours helped me out of my unit.”

She did not want to be named. The woman, who lives with her daughter, said of the victim: “I used to talk to the woman whenever I saw her at the lift area, but we weren’t close.”

In a media reply, the area’s MP Liang Eng Hwa said the town council has completed the washing of the affected corridors, with electrical works and the painting of corridors and external walls currently ongoing.

The MP for Bukit Panjang added that community volunteers have contacted affected residents to offer assistance, and expressed his condolences to the family of the woman.

Liang said: “This incident is a stark reminder of the importance of fire safety and our shared responsibility in keeping one another safe. We urge everyone to remain vigilant, practise good fire-safety habits, and ensure that common areas and escape routes are kept clear of obstructions at all times.”

Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council, in a media reply on Sept 30, said that it is saddened by the incident and extends its deepest condolences to the woman’s family.

The town council said that it would not be appropriate for it to comment further on the cause of the fire as investigations are ongoing.

“We will assist the relevant authorities where required,” it added.

There have been five other deaths from residential fires since July 28:

There were six fire fatalities and 94 fire injuries in 2025, according to SCDF’s annual statistics report in Feb 2026. There were seven fire deaths and 80 fire injuries in 2024.

According to the report, the total number of fires here increased by 3% – from 1,990 in 2024 to 2,050 in 2025. Of these, 1,051 involved fires at residential buildings.

Unattended cooking and electrical fires – including faults in electrical wiring or overloaded sockets – remained the top two causes of home fires.

Of the 304 cases of electrical fires at residential premises in 2025, 34 involved active mobility devices. These include personal mobility devices, power-assisted bicycles and personal mobility aids.