Explosions can be heard as firefighters fight to put out a fire involving chemical waste and flammable materials at a Tuas waste management plant on Thursday (Feb 23) morning.
The cause of the fire is not known. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) says the fire involves chemical waste and flammable materials and has advised the public to stay clear of the area.
Eye witnesses told The Straits Times that the roads around the site of the fire at 23 Tuas View Circuit are closed and bus services have stopped.
ECO Special Waste Management was engulfed in flames when the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) arrived. It is fully licensed by the National Environment Agency (NEA) as a Toxic Industrial Waste Collector, a General Waste Collector, and an Asbestos Removal Contractor, among other qualifications.
It provides services to industrial and commercial customers from industries such as petrochemical, pharmaceutical, oil and gas, power generation, electronics, marine, engineering, and semiconductor, with 2,000 customers, the company said on its website.
Construction worker Asraful, 23, told The Straits Times he saw the fire when he woke up at 8am.
Mr Asraful, who lives in Tuas South Dormitory, was walking out from Tuas South Ave 9, which had been closed to the public.
“The buses have all stopped,” he said.
Mr Daniq, 40, a chef, was on his way to work at Tuas Power Station at 10am. He said he had to walk from a long way off because of road closures due to the fire.
Around 200 SCDF responders are currently at the site to put out the flames.
SCDF has also deployed nine fire engines, five Red Rhinos, four Unmanned Firefighting Machines, one ambulance and 15 support vehicles.
In a Facebook post at 9.49am, it said: “Periodic explosions could be heard as firefighters battle the blaze to contain it within the affected premises. SCDF is also applying foam to suppress the fire in the drains within the immediate vicinity.”
An earlier SCDF Facebook post at 8.40am said that the area, which measured about 200m by 200m, was fully engulfed in flames when their officers arrived.
It first alerted the public about the fire on its Facebook at 7.18am, adding that StarHub mobile subscribers within the immediate vicinity of the fire incident would have received an advisory message urging members of public to stay away from the area.
Police confirmed the fire in a Facebook post: “The Police confirm that a case of fire has been reported at 23 Tuas View Circuit. Tuas South Ave 3 and Tuas View Crescent are closed to facilitate operations. The public is advised to avoid the area.”
Source: StraitsTimes
