SINGAPORE - A fire broke out at a lift lobby in a Housing Board block in Jalan Besar on Friday (Oct 27) morning, charring the area and leaving electrical wires exposed.

The blaze took place at the fourth floor of Block 8, North Bridge Road, around 9.55am.

There were no reported injuries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told The Straits Times on Friday.

ST understands that the fire involved electrical wiring.

A 67-year-old resident, a retiree who gave his name only as Mr Xu, told Shin Min Daily News in a report on Friday that he was showering at around 9.30am when he smelled something burning.

He later heard officers from the police and SCDF knocking on doors.

"I stepped out of my unit and realised that the lift at the side was burnt so badly, and the smoke was billowing out, it gave me such a shock," he said." "After that, I rushed to go downstairs with the police and SCDF and went back home only at noon."

Mr Xu said the lift lobby area is often littered with discarded items.

Another resident, a 73-year-old retiree who gave her name as Madam Chen, said she ran for her life along with about 20 others.

"I smelled something burning and realised there was a fire so I rushed to knock on my neighbours' doors and ask them to get downstairs quickly," she said. "Police and SCDF officers were also knocking on doors, making sure the residents on the third and fourth floors dispersed safely."

SCDF put out the fire with a fire extinguisher.

ST has contacted the Jalan Besar Town Council for more information.