The two victims of the Marina Bay Suites fire were security officers at the condominium.

They are Mr Sim Lai Huat, 58, a Singaporean, and Ms Sooria Kala Kanaseon, 34, a Malaysian.

The fire broke out just after 10pm on Monday at the 65th floor of the 221-unit condominium, which is still mostly unoccupied. Residents were evacuated earlier but most returned to their units at about 2am on Tuesday.

Firemen had to break into the lift lobby on the 65th floor; they found it engulfed in flames. The fire was put out using three water jets. They found the two bodies at about 2am inside the service lift opening.

An SCDF spokesman said the fire involved renovation materials, such as paint, at the service lift lobby area. The fire was confined to the area.

Marina Bay Suites is a 66-storey luxury condominium next to The Sail @ Marina Bay. Its 221 units include 108 three-bedders - all have been sold - 110 four-bedroom units and three penthouses, one of which went for $19.3 million.

The three-bedroom units range from 1,572 to 1,625 sq ft, while the four-bedders are 2,045 to 2,691 sq ft in size. Each unit comes with its own private lift lobby.

When it obtained its Temporary Occupation Permit in July last year, 90 per cent of the 221 units had already been sold through private previews in Singapore as well as overseas, including in Indonesia, Malaysia and China. Prices averaged $2,700 per sq ft then.

The Business Times reported that half of the buyers were Singaporeans, with Indonesians, Malaysians and mainland Chinese prominent among the other owners.

Marina Bay Suites was developed by a consortium controlled by Keppel Land, Cheung Kong Holdings and Hongkong Land Holdings.