1 hospitalised, 20 evacuated after fire in coffee shop near famous temple in Waterloo Street

SINGAPORE – One person was taken to hospital after inhaling smoke from a fire that broke out at a coffee shop in Queen Street on the morning of March 19.

Twenty people were evacuated from Block 269B Queen Street by police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

Ten people were assessed for smoke inhalation and breathlessness, and one of them was taken to the Singapore General Hospital.

SCDF was alerted to the fire at 11.15am on March 19 and put it out with two water jets.

It said the fire involved the kitchen exhaust duct of the coffee shop and that the cause of the fire is under investigation.

It reminded people, especially stallholders, to prevent such fires by keeping stoves, their surrounding areas and exhaust duct openings free from grease and oil stains.

The exhaust ducts should also be cleaned and maintained at least once a year, added SCDF.

Jalan Besar GRC MP Denise Phua said in a Facebook post on March 19 that she has arranged for the evacuated residents to have their needs, including food, taken care of.

She said the town council is also helping out with a plumbing rupture, adding that the residents returned to their flats by 2.10pm.

“This is Singapore – we help one another out when bad things happen,” she said.

A large crowd of onlookers gathered because of the fire at the coffee shop, which is near Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, reported Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao.

Photos shared with The Straits Times showed that the smoke from the fire could be seen from the junction of Middle Road and Waterloo Street. The thick smoke partially obscured the Housing Board block.

It is unclear when the fire broke out but, according to the photos, there was no crowd at the coffee shop at about 11.30am.

On March 13, a fire broke out in a lift control panel at the ibis Singapore on Bencoolen hotel, which is only about 220m from the coffee shop.