SINGAPORE - A person died in a fire in the living room of a Bukit Panjang Housing Board flat on Friday afternoon (Nov 30).

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that it responded to the fire at the 13th-storey unit at Block 165 Gangsa Road at 12.35pm.

SCDF officers had to break down the door to gain access to the burning unit. The fire started in the living room and was extinguished by firefighters using a water jet.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, the police said that they were alerted to a case of unnatural death at Block 165 Gangsa Road at 12.35pm.

The body of a 83-year-old woman was found lying motionless in the unit, and she was pronounced dead by a paramedic at the scene.

Ten residents who were living on the same floor were evacuated by SCDF officers and police. The Straits Times understands that they have since returned to their flats.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.