One person dead, one taken to hospital after fire at Choa Chu Kang flat
A resident told CNA that a woman in her 60s and her two adult children lived in the 14th-floor unit that caught fire.
by Charmaine Jacob · CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
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SINGAPORE: A person died and another was taken to hospital after a fire broke out in a Choa Chu Kang flat in the early hours of Thursday (Mar 19).
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the blaze at Block 763 Choa Chu Kang North 5 at about 3am. The fire broke out in the bedroom of a unit on the 14th floor.
A 33-year-old man was found lying motionless in the unit, police said in response to CNA's query. He was pronounced dead at the scene by an SCDF paramedic.
A 61-year-old woman from the affected unit who had evacuated before SCDF’s arrival was assessed for smoke inhalation and taken to Singapore General Hospital.
Two other people from the affected block were assessed for smoke inhalation, but declined to be taken to hospital, SCDF said in a Facebook post.
About 70 people were evacuated by the police and SCDF as a "precautionary measure".
SCDF extinguished the fire with two water jets and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Responding to queries from CNA, a spokesperson from Marsiling-Yew Tee Town Council said: "It is unfortunate that a resident has passed away in the fire. We extend our condolences to the family during this difficult time."
The spokesperson added that the affected family has been relocated by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) to a rental unit, and the town council is assisting with logistics and providing essential furniture.
The town council has also reached out to all other affected residents to offer support with any immediate needs.
"The safety and well-being of our residents remain our top priority and we will continue to work closely with our residents to ensure a swift recovery following the incident," the spokesperson said.
"MY HEART WAS RACING"
When CNA arrived at the unit at about 11am, the left side of the 14th floor had been cordoned off. Two people in white protective suits and two police officers were standing along the corridor, looking into the unit through the window.
The floor and walls of the 14th floor were covered in black soot.
Ms Rohi, 30, lives in the flat next to the one that caught fire. At about 3am, the woman from the affected unit banged on her door.
“We were trying to convince the woman to come down with us, but she said that her son was still inside and she wanted to wait for him," said Ms Rohi.
During that time, they heard sounds of objects breaking, as well as explosions from inside the house.
Ms Rohi’s brother remained upstairs for an additional five minutes trying to convince the woman to follow her down, while Ms Rohi went downstairs first with her maid.
She said the woman came down after, and she saw the woman’s daughter was downstairs as well.
Ms Rohi said they have been neighbours for about 15 years. “They are a very nice family. They’re hospitable. They give us ang baos and oranges during Chinese New Year,” she said.
“It’s quite depressing to know what happened. It was very sad when we saw the news.”
She also noted that the unit was not cluttered and was very clean.
While residents were gathered downstairs, they were checked on regularly by SCDF.
Ms Rohi said the Residents’ Committee chairman came down at about 7am and told them they could ask for help if anything was damaged. They also sent electricians to check the unit.
Ms Rohi said that her unit was unaffected.
Ms June, a maid living in the unit on the 15th floor directly above the one that caught fire, said she was woken at around 2.30am by a thumping sound, almost like dumbbells being dropped.
She initially did not think much of it and assumed her neighbour was doing a late-night workout.
However, the noise grew increasingly loud. When she got out of bed to check, she saw smoke billowing through the bedroom window.
She quickly opened the door and ran to the living room, which was already filled with smoke.
“I was very scared. My heart was racing. I was panicking so much,” she said, adding that she was thankful the elderly woman she takes care of was not at home.
She grabbed a mask and rushed to wake her two employers at home.
Firefighters arrived shortly after and began banging on their windows. Ms June ran to the neighbouring units and knocked on their doors to alert the others to evacuate.
Ms June and her employers said they were worried that the fire would spread to their unit, and waited anxiously downstairs for updates. They only returned to their unit after 10am.
Madam Sophia, a resident who lives on the 13th floor, told CNA that a woman in her 60s and her two adult children lived in the 14th-floor unit that caught fire.
“We have small talk when we see each other. They’re very friendly," the 61-year-old said.
Mdm Sophia was home with her husband and son when the blaze broke out.
Her son was awake when the police came banging on their door. He quickly woke her and her husband up, and the family evacuated.
They only heard later that the fire was on the 14th floor.
“It’s really so sad,” Mdm Sophia said.
A staff member from Marsiling-Yew Tee Town Council was seen knocking on doors on the 13th floor and checking if residents’ water and electricity supply was affected by the fire.
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