Fire breaks out at Whampoa hawker centre, 100 people evacuated
A hawker at Whampoa Makan Place said the fire appeared to have originated from a deep fryer.
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SINGAPORE: Diners and hawkers were evacuated from Whampoa Makan Place on Friday (Jun 19) afternoon after a fire broke out at a stall.
Footage of the incident showed orange flames at a stall in the hawker centre, filling the area with thick grey smoke.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to a fire at 90 Whampoa Drive, the address of Whampoa Makan Place, at about 4.10pm.
"The fire involved the kitchen exhaust ducting of a stall unit on the ground floor," SCDF said, adding that the fire was extinguished with two water jets and a hosereel.
The police and SCDF evacuated about 100 people as a precaution and no injuries were reported.
When CNA arrived on scene at about 5.30pm, the fire had already been put out.
At least three fire engines were in the area and a crane from one of the vehicles was poised above the entrance of Whampoa Makan Place, with water cascading down.
About 30 onlookers were milling outside the hawker centre, which was cordoned off with police tape.
Stall owners said the fire had originated from western food stall Swee Lee, which faces the car park.
Swee Lee stall assistant Aw Chiang Kay, 73, told CNA that he was eating elsewhere when someone informed him that his stall was on fire at around 4pm.
By the time he rushed back, the fire had spread to the exhaust above the unit with several others attempting to snuff the flames to no avail.
Mr Victor Pang, who lives opposite Whampoa Makan Place, said he saw smoke progressively blanketing outside his home at about 4.10pm.
He recalled seeing greyish-white smoke billowing from the roof of the hawker centre.
Madam Jamilah Latiff, 64, who was cooking at Rabiah Muslim food behind Swee Lee, said the fire appeared to have originated from a deep fryer.
"I heard a gas pop sound, then someone started screaming 'smoke smoke smoke!'. Then I saw the fire," Mdm Latiff said.
She said someone tried to put the fire out with water but it appeared to have worsened the situation.
Mdm Latiff, who has been operating her stall for about 43 years, said this is the worst fire in her time at the hawker centre.
"My first experience was, I think, in the last two or three years, my neighbour also caught fire," she recounted, adding that it was put out with a fire extinguisher.
The owner of a fish soup stall, which was opposite Mdm Latiff's, helped to put out the fire that had spread to her unit.
The man, who declined to be named, said in Mandarin: "I asked Mdm Latiff if she wanted me to help put out the fire because if not, everything would get burnt."
The public was allowed to reenter the darkened hawker centre at about 6.50pm when the police cordon was removed.
Hawkers were then observed checking their stalls and machinery using flashlights from their mobile phones as the power remained out.
Puddles of water were seen outside and inside Swee Lee, along with grime and utensils strewn on the slippery floor.
Mr Aw, who was on the phone, entered the store briefly to inspect the damage amid ankle-deep water. He then collected his valuables and money from a drawer.
The smell of smoke lingered in the air.
Stall assistant Phua Jian Zhi said he was in the toilet when his wife called him at about 4.10pm about the fire.
He told his wife to remove the valuables from his porridge stall, Xin Ji. The 38-year-old then ran back to turn off the gas and electricity, fearing potential explosions.
He also helped tackle the blaze with a fire extinguisher before SCDF arrived about 15 minutes later.
"I think my machinery is completely spoilt," Mr Phua said in Mandarin, valuing the damage to be about S$4,000 (US$3,100) to S$5,000.
Back at her stall, Mdm Latiff examined the damage with a large torch.
She gestured at her money in metal basins, which were untouched, with some relief.
Another thing escaped unscathed - her radio, which was still playing music as she surveyed the damage.
The same could not be said for the rest of the items.
"100 per cent cannot," she said when asked about her equipment.
Additional reporting by Chelsea Ong.
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