SINGAPORE – A couple living in a Telok Blangah flat woke up to the smell of smoke on Monday morning and found themselves trapped in the bedroom as a fire raged in the living room.
They opened a window in the bedroom to get fresh air and shouted for help. They also contacted their landlord for help.
When Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) firefighters arrived, they broke into the flat and rescued the couple, who were unhurt.
The SCDF and police also evacuated about 50 people from the block as a precaution.
SCDF said it was alerted to the fire on the third floor of Block 13 Telok Blangah Crescent at about 7.05am on Monday.
The firefighters had to force their way into the flat and put out the fire using a Compressed Air Foam backpack and a water jet, said an SCDF spokesman in response to queries from The Straits Times.
Two people who were trapped in the unit were evacuated and assessed by an SCDF paramedic for smoke inhalation. They declined to be taken to hospital, the spokesman added.
SCDF is investigating the cause of the fire.
The couple later told Chinese-language newspaper Shin Min Daily News that they are migrant workers from Myanmar and were asleep when the fire started.
“After the smoke woke us up, we opened the bedroom door and found the fire was already very large and it was impossible to get out. We closed the door immediately,” said the husband, who wanted to be known only as Mr Wen, 39.
He said he heard an explosion in the living room after closing the door.
“I was very frightened, so I hurriedly opened the window with my wife and shouted for help. We got some fresh air and then contacted our landlord for help.
“About five minutes later, firefighters broke through the door, came into the bedroom and rescued us.”
Mr Melvin Yong, MP for Radin Mas SMC, said in a Facebook post the Radin Mas Constituency office has contacted the flat owner to offer assistance.
He added that HDB is checking the structural integrity of the unit, and the Tanjong Pagar Town Council’s electrical team has checked and restored the electricity supply to all the other units.
The town council’s conservancy team has cleared the debris and removed the soot from the common corridors, and repainting of the exterior of the affected areas in the block will begin soon.
