Five people, including firefighter, taken to hospital following blaze in Choa Chu Kang flat
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- A fire in a Choa Chu Kang HDB flat on May 31 led to four residents and one firefighter being hospitalised for smoke inhalation and back pain.
- The 14th-floor flat experienced severe heat and smoke damage, with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) currently investigating the cause.
- SCDF urges public caution against unattended cooking, electrical faults, and lighted materials, noting a 3% rise in total fires up to 2025.
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SINGAPORE – Four residents and a firefighter were taken to hospital on May 31 after a fire broke out in an HDB flat in Choa Chu Kang.
In a Facebook post on May 31, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire at Block 439 Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4 at 1.20pm that day.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, the living room of a 14th-floor flat was ablaze, resulting in heat and smoke damage to the entire unit, said SCDF.
It added that the fire was extinguished with two water jets.
Four people from the affected block were assessed for smoke inhalation and taken to Singapore General Hospital, SCDF said in the post.
In an update later, SCDF said a firefighter was assessed for back pain and taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital as a precaution.
The firefighter was discharged from hospital on the same day, SCDF added.
The aftermath of the fire at the 14th-floor unit at Block 439 Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4, on May 31.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
A resident living in the flat opposite the affected unit told The Straits Times that he detected a strong smell of smoke at around 1pm.
When he went outside to find out what was going on, he saw black smoke coming out of the unit opposite his.
The resident, who declined to be named, said an elderly woman who lives in the unit came out of the flat. “I ushered her into my house,” added the resident.
“We shut the door and I called the SCDF. The smoke was quite unbearable so we placed wet towels over our noses.”
According to the resident, SCDF arrived around 15 minutes later and escorted residents on that floor to the ground level.
Videos taken at the scene show black smoke coming out of the windows of a top-floor unit.
The walls, floor and ceiling of the unit appear severely charred in photos posted by SCDF. Exposed wires can also be seen dangling from the ceiling.
Three fire trucks can be seen parked at the foot of the block.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The top three causes of residential fires are unattended cooking, electrical faults, and lighted materials left unattended, said SCDF in its Facebook post on May 31.
It reminded the public not to leave cooking unattended, even for a short period, to avoid overloading power sockets and to not leave devices charging overnight.
The public is also advised to ensure that lighted materials such as incense, candles or cigarettes are never left unattended, and are fully extinguished before disposal.
SCDF’s annual statistics released in February show that 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 at residential buildings.
The total number of people injured in fires increased from 80 in 2024, to 94 in 2025. There were seven fire fatalities in 2024, and six in 2025.
Additional reporting by Mark Cheong
