SINGAPORE – One person was taken to hospital after a flat in Bedok Reservoir Road caught fire on Friday morning.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post on Friday that preliminary investigations indicate the fire was caused by an electrical issue in a bedroom.

The SCDF was alerted to the fire in a seventh-floor unit at Block 618 Bedok Reservoir Road at 3.40am on Friday.

Upon the SCDF’s arrival, black smoke was observed coming out of the unit. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatuses extinguished the blaze using a water jet.

The fire also spread to part of the living room, and the rest of the unit was damaged by the heat and smoke, the SCDF said.

Two people from the affected unit had left it before the SCDF arrived, and both were assessed by a paramedic for smoke inhalation.

One of them was subsequently taken to Singapore General Hospital, while the other declined to be taken to hospital.

About 90 residents from the affected block were also evacuated as a precautionary measure.

A resident who wanted to be known only as Ms Chen told Chinese-language newspaper Shin Min Daily News that she heard the sound of an explosion at around 3.30am and smelled something burning.

She said that the police knocked on her door shortly after. When she opened the door, she was shocked to see thick smoke billowing through the corridor.

Ms Chen, who is in her 60s, said a couple and their five children live in the affected unit. The couple is believed to be overseas, she said, adding that she saw only their three adult children at home on Thursday.

This is the third electrical fire this week. On Wednesday, a kitchen was engulfed in flames in a Sengkang Housing Board block. A family of five, including three children, were rescued by firefighters and taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.

On Sunday, a flat in Serangoon caught fire. No one was inside at the time, but a cat was rescued from the unit. The blaze was likely to have been caused by an electrical issue in a bedroom.

In data released earlier in 2023, the SCDF said the number of electrical fires rose by 18.8 per cent to 228 cases in 2022.

Most of these fires were caused by electrical faults in wiring or electrical appliances, or due to the overloading of electrical sockets.

To prevent electrical fires, the SCDF advises the public to adopt the following practices:

• Do not overload electrical outlets with appliances.
• Switch off appliances when they are not in use.
• Check appliances for frayed wires or cracked cords, and replace them immediately.
• Do not run wires under carpets or mats, and keep wires away from hot surfaces.
• Use appliances and electrical plugs bearing the Safety Mark. The categories of appliances can be found at www.consumerproductsafety.gov.sg
• Do not leave batteries or devices to charge unattended for an extended period of time or overnight.