One person taken to hospital, 70 evacuated after fire breaks out in Bukit Merah HDB flat
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Black smoke was seen emitting from a unit on the 12th floor of Block 103B Depot Road on Jan 24.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM SINGAPORE CIVIL DEFENCE FORCE/FACEBOOK
SINGAPORE – One person was taken to hospital after a fire broke out in an HDB flat in Bukit Merah on Jan 24.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post that it was alerted to the fire at Block 103B Depot Road in Bukit Merah at about 5.30pm.
Black smoke was seen emitting from a unit on the 12th floor upon SCDF’s arrival.
No one was inside the affected unit at the time, SCDF said, adding that the fire broke out in one of the rooms and was extinguished with two water jets.
“As a result of the fire, the rest of the unit also sustained heat and smoke damage,” it said.
A person from the affected unit who had evacuated before SCDF’s arrival felt unwell and was taken to Singapore General Hospital.
About 70 people were evacuated by the police and SCDF as a precautionary measure.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
In a Facebook post on Jan 24, Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Rachel Ong, who oversees Telok Blangah, said she had been alerted to the fire and was in touch with the owner of the affected flat. She added that the family is safe.
The Tanjong Pagar Town Council has completed safety checks and confirmed that corridor lighting on levels 1 to 20, as well as water and electricity supply, remain fully operational. Both lifts in the block are also working normally, she said.
“Our agencies will continue to provide close support to the affected family during this time,” Ms Ong said, adding that her team would follow up with residents in the block in the coming week through house visits.
Unattended cooking, electrical faults and unattended lighted materials were listed by SCDF as the top causes of fires at residential premises.
Residents are advised not to leave their cooking unattended and to avoid overloading power sockets or charging devices overnight without supervision.
They should also ensure that lighted materials such as incense or cigarettes are never left unattended and are fully extinguished before disposal.
