SINGAPORE - A major fire in a Housing Board unit in Tiong Bahru broke out on Monday night (Sept 3) at around 9.30pm.

A unit on the 15th floor of Block 78 Indus Road was almost entirely up in flames, as the fire "had engulfed the entire living room, kitchen and one of the bedrooms", the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said.

Another bedroom also suffered significant damage. The SCDF added that no one was home in the unit at the time of the incident.

The SCDF received a call about the fire at around 9.30pm. It managed to extinguish the fire with two water jets. Some 150 residents evacuated the scene with the help of the police and SCDF officials.

Three residents were taken to Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation. SCDF said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The flat is located in Jalan Besar GRC. Dr Lily Neo, one of the GRC's Member of Parliament, was at her weekly Meet-the-People session when the fire broke out.

Posting on Facebook close to midnight with photos of the fire, she said: " I thank my grassroots leaders, SCDF and the police who were at the scene promptly to ensure the safety of all my residents. I have arranged with HDB personnel to render household assistance to three families affected by the fire."

She added: "Fortunately, there were no severe injuries involved here. The cause of fire is not known yet and the police and SCDF are still investigating the matter."