Child and firefighter among 7 taken to hospital after fire breaks out in Toa Payoh flat

SINGAPORE - Seven people, including a child and a firefighter, were taken to hospital after a fire broke out in an HDB flat in Toa Payoh on July 29, said Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Saktiandi Supaat.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post that it was alerted to the fire on the 10th floor of Block 229, Toa Payoh Lorong 8, at about 1pm.

SCDF said: “Upon arrival, the fire was raging and had totally engulfed a unit on the 10th floor. Firefighters extinguished the fire with two water jets.

“Another team of firefighters conducted forcible entry into a unit directly above the 10th-floor unit that was on fire. Firefighters extinguished the fire in the 11th-floor unit with a water jet.”

Mr Saktiandi said five residents and a firefighter were taken to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH). One child from a neighbouring unit was assessed for smoke inhalation and was taken to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Two people from the affected unit on the 10th floor and three others from neighbouring units were assessed for smoke inhalation – one of them also had burn injuries, said SCDF.

The firefighter who was taken to hospital experienced fatigue and felt unwell during the operation. He was taken to SGH as a precaution.

SCDF said in an earlier update that “firefighters conducted forcible entry into a unit on the 11th floor and are currently fighting a fire in the unit”.

In an update nearly five hours after the fire started, SCDF said the fire in both units was put out with three water jets in total.

SCDF paramedics worked throughout the afternoon and focused on evacuating residents who were stuck on higher floors.

A young girl was carried out by a policeman, while an older woman in a wheelchair was given an oxygen mask.

When The Straits Times arrived at about 2.20pm, at least 11 firefighters could be seen running in a cordoned-off area to gather equipment, while a crowd had gathered. The police were also present.

Thick, black smoke could be seen from three windows of the unit. Nearby units were also damaged, with the smoke leaving behind black soot marks.

Mr Saktiandi, who arrived at about 2.45pm, said: “The fire started on the 10th storey.

“Residents have been evacuated, but I’m aware that several residents are still stuck on the higher floors. SCDF is doing their best to get them down.”

A resident, who wanted to be known only as Madam Rebecca, 83, said she smelled smoke at around 1.30pm when she was about to take a nap.

Madam Rebecca, who lives on the second storey of the block with her domestic helper, said: “I evacuated immediately using the stairs.

“When I got to the void deck, there was an old woman who was with her daughter. The older woman was holding a dog and crying.”

The crying woman told firefighters that she was struggling to breathe, and she was later attended to by paramedics, added Madam Rebecca, who has lived in the block for 30 years.

Another resident, Ms Felicia Yeo, 29, who lives with her brother on the eighth storey, said: “I knew something was wrong when I smelled smoke at about 1.20pm.

“My brother and I quickly got out of our flat. I didn’t bring anything with me, except my phone.”

Her brother, who wanted to be known only as Mr Yeo, said that when he reached the void deck, he heard there were elderly people stuck on the second and third floors because they were not “too mobile”.

“So I went back up and carried three older folks down. I had to help them, I couldn’t just leave them,” said Mr Yeo, 28, who works in marketing.

Madam Chua Siew Keng, 90, a retired nurse who lives with her husband on the 25th floor, said she was at a coffee shop buying food when the fire broke out.

She said: “I immediately called my husband. He said he couldn’t get down because the lifts were not operating. He walks with a cane, so he can’t use the stairs.

“He kept reassuring me that he was okay, but I was so worried.”

Madam Chua’s husband, 80, was evacuated more than two hours later, at about 3.30pm.

“He’s being looked at by paramedics. I’m just glad he’s okay,” she said.

Speaking to reporters at 5.30pm, Mr Saktiandi said it was unlikely that residents whose homes are on the 10th and 11th floors would be able to return to their homes today.

He said: “We’re making arrangements with HDB to ensure that there is temporary housing provided to the affected residents.”

He added that welfare items such as food, mattresses and fans and financial help will be provided to affected residents, if needed.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The fire is the second major one to take place in a week, after two people died in a blaze at Block 173, Toa Payoh Lorong 1, on July 22.

A 56-year-old man and a 61-year-old woman were found dead when an SCDF paramedic entered the second-storey unit. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

There were 80 reported cases of injury from fire and five fire-related deaths in 2024, according to SCDF statistics.