‘Fires cannot really be helped’: Elderly residents on risks amid spate of fatal blazes
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Ng Keng Leng in his clutter-filled unit on the ground floor of Block 39 Circuit Road on Aug 6.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Fatimah Mujibah, Emily Koh and Claudia Tan
- Several recent fatal fires involving elderly residents have raised serious concerns about fire safety in HDB estates.
- Many elderly residents live with clutter and lack knowledge or tools like fire extinguishers to manage fire risks effectively.
- MPs and community groups are pushing for more fire safety education and preventive measures, especially in estates with many elderly residents.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – Every day, Ng Keng Leng, 83, carefully manoeuvres among towering piles of newspapers, plastic bags and discarded packaging in his two-room Circuit Road flat.
He said the clutter has built up over the years because his wife refuses to throw anything away.
He knows the items pose a serious fire hazard but feels powerless to do anything about it.
His fears come as recent deadly fires raised concerns over fire safety among the elderly.
Since July 28, there have been three reported fatal fires, all involving the elderly.
A fire broke out in an HDB flat in Circuit Road on the morning of July 28 and killed a 70-year-old man.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said firefighters found him unconscious in the unit. He was taken to Changi General Hospital, where he later died.
On July 31, a fire at an eighth-floor HDB flat in Clementi killed a 65-year-old man and injured two firefighters.
And on Aug 3, a blaze broke out in a fifth-floor unit at Block 684 Race Course Road, which saw five people aged between 55 and 88 taken to hospital. The 88-year-old man died on Aug 5.
SCDF said in its annual statistics in February that there were six fire fatalities and 94 injuries in 2025. There were seven fire deaths and 80 injuries in 2024.
In 2024, there were at least three reported fatal fires involving elderly persons, including a 72-year-old man who died in a Marsiling flat, and a 79-year-old woman who died after a fire broke out in a Choa Chu Kang flat.
In 2023, a 79-year-old man died from a blaze in a Bukit Batok flat in June, and a man in his 80s died after a fire broke out in his Geylang flat.
Over two days, The Straits Times visited Toa Payoh Lorong 1, Circuit Road and Bukit Merah to ask residents, especially the elderly, about their fire safety awareness and measures.
Of the 15 residents ST spoke to, none owned or knew how to use a fire extinguisher.
Ng Keng Leng said that he knows the items pose a serious fire hazard but feels powerless to do anything about it - his wife refuses to throw away anything.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Asked about the risk of a fire, Ng said: “I am worried. Look at my home. There are so many items which can cause a fire to spread.
“If I tell my wife, I will get scolded. So I don’t say anything.”
‘Cannot be helped’
Another Circuit Road resident, who wanted to be known only as Yong, 82, felt a fire extinguisher was unnecessary.
The retired salesman said: “As long as I am careful and can take care of myself, it is okay. There is nothing much I can do about it. (Fires) cannot really be helped.”
A 70-year-old Bukit Merah resident, who wanted to be identified only as See, agreed with this view.
He said: “There is nothing much that can be done. Even if my neighbours have habits that may start a fire, I cannot say anything as I do not want to start a fight.”
Of the 304 cases of electrical fires at residential premises in 2025, 34 involved active mobility devices.
These include personal mobility devices (PMDs), power-assisted bicycles and personal mobility aids.
Items such as personal mobility aids are seen along the corridor of housing units at a block in Toa Payoh North on Aug 5.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
Yong owns a PMD which he charges in his flat. He said: “I will always check when the light turns off, which means it has been fully charged.”
Other measures residents in the three estates take include never leaving the stove unattended and turning it off before leaving home.
The total number of fires increased by 3 per cent, from 1,990 in 2024 to 2,050 in 2025. Of these, 1,051 involved fires in residential buildings.
Unattended cooking and electrical fires – including faults in electrical wiring or overloaded sockets – were the top two causes of home fires.
In March, Law Minister and Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong said at a fire safety event in Joo Chiat there was a greater need for Singaporeans to have fire safety skills, amid the rise in residential fires.
MPs’ concerns
Denise Phua, one of the MPs for Jalan Besar GRC, was worried about the spate of fires in recent months.
She told ST on Aug 7 the causes of such incidents need to be properly analysed, communicated and addressed.
Phua visited the scene of the fire in Race Course Road, which is in her ward.
She said: “More preventive initiatives are important especially for estates where there are more elderly residents and in older estates across Singapore.”
Phua added that in Kampong Gelam, the SCDF, active ageing centre and grassroots volunteers have begun conducting regular fire safety awareness talks.
Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC MP Tin Pei Ling said one in three residents in MacPherson estate is above 60 years old. She has also observed hoarding cases during home visits.
“If we think it’s a fire hazard, we engage volunteers’ help (to dispose of items). But it is a challenge sometimes,” she said, as residents may not be willing to part with their belongings.
The cause of the Circuit Road fire is still unknown, said Tin who oversees the area.
She added that more residents have requested more talks on fire safety and first aid, to educate the community in MacPherson.
She said the town council conducts weekly checks at common corridors outside HDB flats to ensure compliance with SCDF’s fire safety requirements.
Phua said more needs to be done.
She said: “All of us need to do our part to be vigilant to take fire prevention and safety seriously, to ensure that our lives, livelihoods and homes are protected.”
