Power fully restored at Queen Street HDB block hit by blackout after coffee shop fire

SINGAPORE – Power at a Housing Board block in Queen Street was fully restored at 5.30pm on March 20, more than a day after it was hit by a blackout following a coffee shop fire.

A 35-year-old healthcare worker, whose elderly parents live at Block 269B Queen Street, told The Straits Times that the supply of electricity had been down since noon on March 19.

The water supply was also disrupted for some residents.

Jalan Besar GRC MP Denise Phua had told ST on March 20 that 36 of the 101 affected units in the block were still experiencing power disruptions as at 4pm.

In a Facebook update at 5.30pm, she said electricity had been fully restored to all affected units after repair works.

A fire had broken out at a coffee shop on the ground floor of the block around 11am on March 19. One person was taken to hospital after inhaling smoke, while 20 people were evacuated.

When ST visited the block at 11.30am on March 20, the coffee shop was still closed and an acrid smell hung in the air. The two lifts at the lobby nearest to the coffee shop were not working, and a PUB water wagon was stationed at the carpark.

A notice from Jalan Besar Town Council addressed to residents of the affected units on March 19 said the fire that morning “caused damage to the main electrical cables supplying power to your block, resulting in a disruption of electricity to the affected units”.

In a Facebook post at 1pm on March 19, Ms Phua said grassroots volunteers were on the ground and that the town council was also “helping out with (a) plumbing rupture. And electricity”.

In an update at about 8.30pm, she said: “Your electricity supply is disrupted due to the coffee shop fire in the day. (The) town council is working on it now.” She also advised residents to contact the Residents’ Network at Block 271 Queen Street if they required assistance.

Residents told ST that power was progressively being restored from 8am on March 20.

The healthcare worker, who did not want to be named, was worried about her parents, who are in their 80s, moving in the dark.

She said her parents were given a small lamp around 7.30pm on March 19 by volunteers who visited their home.

When electricity was still not restored at midnight, she brought her parents to her home in Woodlands. In Queen Street, she noticed that the smell of soot still lingered and that it was humid and stuffy in the flat.

She said: “It was pitch black, even along the corridor. My parents are old, and I was worried about things like them going to the toilet in the dark. They are also fasting and have food in the fridge to prepare for Hari Raya.

“Some of the other residents are quite old too and not everyone has alternative places they can go to. What if something happens to them?

“I understand that these are unforeseen circumstances, but I feel more could have been done for the residents like setting up portable toilets with lights downstairs and giving residents regular updates so that they know what’s going on.”

She usually visits her parents with her three siblings on Hari Raya Aidilfitri, which was on March 21, but she was almost certain their plans would be different this year.

“We’re just exhausted now. We’ll see how it goes and if things remain the same, we will celebrate Hari Raya somewhere else.”

Resident Vani Karu, 42, evacuated with her 70-year-old father, teenage daughter and helper around 11am on March 19. Her two sons were in school at the time.

She returned around 2pm and was bathing her four-year-old son when she realised there was no hot water.

She went to her brother’s place in Shunfu to stay for the night with her children. Around 8am on March 20, her helper told her that the electricity had been restored.

Her daughter, who has acute bronchitis, has developed a bad cough and headache.

The childcare administrator, who has lived there since 2002, said: “We’re on the third floor so it’s very warm and there’s no hot water. I thought of staying at nearby hotels but they’re very pricey.

“We have two fridges, and I think we’ll end up throwing out a lot of things to be safe, especially the dairy products.

“It was a stressful ordeal, but I’m glad there are no casualties.”

Some residents were also affected by plumbing issues. One of them, Ms Archana Gupta, returned home at 2pm on March 19 after evacuating earlier to find that her water pipe had burst. Her kitchen was flooded and water was flowing into the living room.

She called the town council and a plumber came to install a temporary water point in her home. Her family had to use buckets to shower, she added.

She said volunteers from the Residents’ Network visited her with bottled water and told her the centre had food and air conditioning. Power in her flat resumed at around 8.45am on March 20 and the plumber was fixing the water pipe when ST arrived at 11.30am.

The 37-year-old, who runs a student care centre, said: “It was inconvenient and uncomfortable, but I’m thankful for friends who brought over battery-operated lights and power banks.”

For Ms Karasi, 72, who lives on the 23rd floor, her electricity was not back up when ST spoke to her at 1.30pm on March 20. “It’s been more than 24 hours, and it’s been a difficult time for my family. We couldn’t sleep as the fans were not working, and I’m feeling quite ill because of the smoke.”

Ms Karasi, who does volunteer work, said she was very anxious when the blackout occurred because her 88-year-old mother, who uses a wheelchair, cannot use the stairs.

She said the water pressure in her unit was very weak and her family has to use buckets to shower.

Power in her unit was restored at about 5.30pm, she added.

In a statement on March 20, the Jalan Besar Town Council said it went from door to door to inform residents about the power disruption and distributed torchlights and mineral water to those affected.

Water supply to the block has since been fully restored, it said.

Ms Phua said the Residents’ Network centre remained open throughout the day with meals, hot water and medical supplies available for residents. She said she will also call for more preventive measures to be put in place against such fires.

“One is one too many. It disrupts lives of all nearby residents and it could have taken lives. It is especially high risk for my elderly residents.”