Tampines industrial building fire: Structure assessed as unstable by SCDF after blaze

SINGAPORE – A fire broke out in a building in Tampines on May 9, with dense black smoke forcing the evacuation of office workers as well as students in a nearby school.

In a Facebook post, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire at a three-storey industrial building at 18 Tampines Street 92 at around 12.50pm.

The fire involved textile items in the building, said the SCDF, adding that five water jets, an aerial monitor from a combined platform ladder, and an unmanned firefighting machine were deployed.

“The fire is under control, but the structure of the premises is assessed to be unstable,” it said.

In its final update at around 11.10am on May 10, SCDF said the flames have been extinguished.

“Damping down operations are ongoing”, SCFD added.

Damping down refers to the application of water to burnt surfaces immediately after a fire is put out.

The building is solely occupied by furnishing retailer T.C. Homeplus, the company’s director Yap Keat Boon told The Straits Times.

When ST reached the scene of the blaze at around 1.15pm, students from the nearby Middleton International School were seen exiting the school’s buildings via the staircases in large groups, and gathering on the ground floor of the school compound.

A spokeswoman for EtonHouse, which operates Middleton International School, said in response to queries that all the children and community members of the school had safely evacuated.

She added that the school is working closely with the SCDF and other agencies.

One parent, who wanted to be known only as Mr Colin, said he was notified of the fire by the school at around 1pm. He has two children, aged six and nine, studying at Middleton.

He said: “I am not worried about the situation as the school knows what they are doing. The kids are calm, so it seems to be all under control.”

At around 2.30pm, more than five fire engines were seen at the building. One man lying on a stretcher was being tended to by SCDF paramedics, while an officer used a power tool to saw off part of a fence located behind the building.

Speaking to ST at the scene, T.C. Homeplus’ Mr Yap, 37, said he was out when he received a call from an employee who said the building was on fire.

“(The employees) tried to put it out with extinguishers, but it had got too large,” said Mr Yap, adding that around 45 staff who were at the office were evacuated.

“We will need to cancel some events at shopping malls and atriums, and regroup our operations. We will also need to look at continuity of our business, and source an alternative location for our operations.”

An eyewitness, who wanted to be known only as James, said he was heading back to his office after lunch at Our Tampines Hub when he saw the smoke.

When he arrived at his workplace – located across the road from the affected building – employees were being evacuated and SCDF vehicles had gathered at the scene.

The 35-year-old data centre employee said it was challenging to account for everyone’s presence, as the fire broke out during lunchtime, when many people were out.

By 2.45pm, the black smoke had mostly cleared up, and firefighters were seen damping down the affected areas.

One person declined to be taken to hospital after he was assessed for a minor cut on his arm, said the SCDF.