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Tag: fire

  • Makcik Homeless After Fire Gutted Home, Kind Neighbour Took Her In

    Makcik Homeless After Fire Gutted Home, Kind Neighbour Took Her In

    A kind resident took in her neighbour after a fire in the latter’s flat, allowing the family of three to lodge in her home temporarily.

    The fire had broken out in the second-storey flat at Block 372, Jurong East Street 32 on Friday morning (Aug 4).

    Stomp earlier reported on the incident in which seven people were conveyed to hospitals for treatment after inhaling smoke.

    A 62-year-old woman and her two daughters were the occupants of the affected flat.

    After the incident, one of her daughters revealed that she had been using a hair curler, and had placed it on a mattress, after turning off the electricity.

    Later on, there was smoke and the smell of something burning, before the mattress finally caught fire.

    Said the 62-year-old mother: “I was at the market that morning when I received a call from my daughter telling me that there was a strong burning smell.

    “I immediately rushed home, and my daughters wanted to move the mattress out of the unit. However, it suddenly caught fire.”

    The fire spread fast and a neighbour, living in the unit beside theirs, was trapped in her home.

    The 58-year-old neighbour recalled: “I was on medical leave that day. I smelt something burning in the morning, but I was groggy from my fever.

    “Later I heard my husband shouting that something was burning. We opened our door and found a fire in the corridor.

    “There was nowhere we could run to. We were trapped. I started crying and screaming for help. Then I recalled that my neighbour could not move well, and I called her.”

    She said that fortunately, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) arrived in time, and the couple climbed down to safety using a ladder.

    According to her, this was not the first time a fire had broken out in the block.

    She told Shin Min Daily News: “Two years ago, a unit on the left had caught fire at around 3a, in the morning, so this is the second time already.”

    Although the affected flat’s owner has since received keys to a rental flat, her neighbour still insisted that the family stay with her for the time being.

    The neighbour added: “We’re neighbours, so it’s only right that we help each other out.”

     

    Source: http://stomp.straitstimes.com

  • Electric Scooter Charged Overnight Caught Fire, SCDF Activated

    Electric Scooter Charged Overnight Caught Fire, SCDF Activated

    An electric scooter reportedly left to charge overnight in a Housing Board flat in Chua Chu Kang sparked a fire, with three people fleeing the unit.

    The fire broke out at 3.50am on Friday (July 28) at a 10th-floor unit in Block 230, Choa Chu Kang Central 1, the Singapore Civil Defence Force told The Straits Times.

    A woman who lives in the flat, who declined to be named, told Shin Min Daily News in a report on Friday that she was sleeping when she heard a loud explosion.

    It was followed by a burnt smell, coming from a room. She went to check and saw that the battery charger of the e-scooter inside was on fire.

    ST understands that SCDF officers had to conduct forcible entry into the unit, and that the fire was started by a portable battery charger attached to the e-scooter.

    No one was injured.

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Toa Payoh Fire: 61 Year Old Suspect Arrested, Residents Question Lack Of Safety Measures

    Toa Payoh Fire: 61 Year Old Suspect Arrested, Residents Question Lack Of Safety Measures

    A pre-dawn blaze on Tuesday led to chaos as residents of an HDB block in Toa Payoh scrambled to evacuate in the dark.

    The fire broke out at the void deck of Block 14A, Lorong 7, Toa Payoh, at about 4.50am when most residents were asleep.

    A resident at the top of the 25-storey block, who gave his name only as David, 65, said residents from the ninth storey and above evacuated via a single enclosed staircase that was filled with smoke.

    He said: “The elderly had so many problems evacuating, and some had to be carried down more than 20 storeys.”

    He added that none of the emergency exit lights worked, and residents were guided only by the light from their smartphones.

    A police spokesman said a 61-year-old man has been arrested for mischief by fire, and that investigations are ongoing.

    Residents told TNP the flames had engulfed discarded items at the void deck, including bulky furniture dumped there.

    A resident on the 16th storey, retiree Henry Yeow, 70, said there were no safety measures in place.

    “Everyone is angry. We pay taxes and fees, but safety is not there,” he said.

    The incident resulted in utility services being disrupted for more than 24 hours, with most of them being restored by noon yesterday.

    Lift services remained disrupted yesterday afternoon, with only one lift in service.

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

     

  • Shops Re-Open, Flights Resume At Changi Airport Terminal 2 After Fire Yesterday

    Shops Re-Open, Flights Resume At Changi Airport Terminal 2 After Fire Yesterday

    Changi Airport resumed normal operations at 3am on Wednesday (May 17) after a fire at Terminal 2 disrupted flights and operations.

    Indigo Air flight 6E54 to Chennai left from T2 at 5.40am, the airport said in an update on Facebook.

    It apologised for the inconvenience caused and thanked its passengers for their patience.

    Mr Avneesh Mehta, 21, was among passengers who checked in for IndiGo flight 6E54 at about 4am. The flight, which departed Singapore for Chennai at 5.40am, was the first flight departing from T2 since operations resumed.

    The Indian national,  who had been in Singapore for a five-day holiday, said: “I’m glad that everything is now in order. I didn’t even know there was a fire that caused such a huge impact.”

    Some shops in T2 were affected by the fire. Indian fast food restaurant Chutney Mary and restaurant Nando’s on level 3 appeared to have been hit by a blackout caused by the fire.

    Chutney Mary’s manager Mohan Hase, 33, said the sprinklers on the fifth floor were activated and water leaked through the false ceiling into the 24-hour restaurant.

    There was also a power outage. So even though staff were allowed back into the restaurant at 10.30pm last night, the restaurant has not re-opened.

    The 24-hour Starbucks cafe at T2, which closed at 4pm on Tuesday, re-opened at 3am.

     

    The cafe staff were back into the shop around midnight.

    Starbucks barista Siti Umairah, 21, said her colleagues were unable to complete their duties due to the sudden closure, so their team cleaned the equipment and completed the sales report before re-opening the outlet.

    “It smelled quite smoky when I entered the shop around midnight, but it’s okay now” she said.

    Mr Wilfred Tan, 30, who works at the Times bookstore said nothing was amiss at the store, which closed early on Tuesday. The store opened at 6am, its usual opening time.

    “The airport conducts fire drills quite often so we know what to do in the event of an emergency,” said Mr Tan, who has worked for Times for four years.

    Passenger Carol Pantoja, 41, a sales manager at a pharmaceutical firm, could not even tell there had been a fire when she landed in the wee hours of the morning at about 5.40am.

    “When I arrived here I couldn’t tell that there was a fire. I walked around for 20 minutes and didn’t smell anything,” she said.

    The fire on Tuesday broke out in a room holding air-conditioning equipment at the terminal, which triggered a fire alarm at 5.40pm.

    Terminal 2 was evacuated and closed, while all flights were moved to Terminal 3.

    The Singapore Civil Defence Force gave the all-clear for T2 at 10pm on Tuesday. Flight operations then progressively resumed.

    A total of about 40 flights were affected, Changi Airport Group (CAG) said. Six people required medical assistance.

    Two people in the terminal were sent to hospital for observation after approaching Changi staff for medical assistance, and another four were brought to the Terminal 3 clinic, CAG said.

    Changi Airport said it will work with authorities to investigate the incident.

    Passengers departing or arriving on Wednesday are advised to check the Changi Airport website, app or social media channels for the latest information, it added.

     

    Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/

  • 30 People Evacuated From Clementi Mall After Car Catches Fire At Basement Carpark

    30 People Evacuated From Clementi Mall After Car Catches Fire At Basement Carpark

    About 30 people were evacuated from a mall in Clementi on Sunday (April 9) afternoon after a car caught fire in the carpark.

    The fire occurred at about 1.15pm at the entrance of the carpark at The Clementi Mall, Lianhe Wanbao reported on Monday (April 10).

    The vehicle caught fire suddenly as it was entering the carpark at the basement, and the driver escaped just in time, Wanbao said.

    Smoke from the fire activated the fire alarms and building security evacuated the customers and stallholders in the mall.

    A food stall vendor in her 40s, who gave her name as Madam Zhang, told Wanbao: “I first heard the fire alarm. Then, security came to tell us that there was a fire, and told us not to panic and walk to the first floor.

    “Later, when I reached the escalator, I smelled smoke and saw black smoke coming out of the carpark.”

    An employee at a pet store who gave his name as Mr Weijie, 26, said that he had initially thought it was a fire drill.

    “After that, a regular customer told me that a car was on fire at the entrance, and I realised it was real,” he said.

    The fire involved the engine compartment of the vehicle, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told The Straits Times.

    SCDF was alerted at 1.15pm and dispatched two fire engines, two Red Rhinos and two support vehicles.

    It extinguished the fire using fire extinguishers, a compressed air foam backpack and an internal hose reel.

    Approximately 30 people were evacuated by building security, SCDF said.

    There were no reported injuries, and the cause of the fire is being investigated.

     

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    Source: http://www.straitstimes.com