SINGAPORE - A fire broke out in Geylang Bahru in the early morning on Wednesday (July 28).

The affected unit is a dance studio on the second floor of Block 70A Geylang Bahru, which is next to the Jalan Besar Town Council office.

The town council office was not affected by the fire.

The fire involved the contents of the second floor of a two-storey building, and there have been no reported casualties at this point, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

In a Facebook post, the SCDF said its firefighters immediately deployed water jets around the premises to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading.

Once the fire was under control, firefighters donned breathing apparatus and proceeded onto the second floor to locate where the fire started.

Firefighters had to exercise caution as roof tiles directly above them started collapsing, added the SCDF.

It deployed 11 emergency vehicles and about 40 firefighters to the incident. At the height of the operation, four water jets were deployed.

The fire involved the contents of the dance studio, and was extinguished by SCDF in about one hour.

SCDF is currently performing damping down operations, which involve applying water to wet burnt surfaces immediately after a fire is put out, to prevent the fire from rekindling.

According to Chinese-language publication Lianhe Zaobao, the sound of explosions and shattering glass could be heard from the fire, jolting residents awake and attracting numerous onlookers.

Madam Rama Madhavi, who lives in a 24th-floor flat in nearby Upper Boon Keng Road, said she heard a lot of siren sounds while still in bed just before 7am.

"I didn't get up (at first), but as the sounds continued, I peeped through the windows and saw the heavy smoke."

In photos provided by the 60-year-old housewife to The Straits Times, thick smoke could be seen billowing from the building behind the town council.