Fire at Chai Chee HDB flat prompts evacuation of 35 residents

Straits Times

3 days ago

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Two units above the affected lift lobby sustained heat and soot damage, and 35 residents from the block were evacuated by the police and SCDF as a precautionary measure.
SINGAPORE - Seven people were given medical attention after a fire broke out at the 13th floor lift lobby of a Housing Board block in Chai Chee early on July 13.
In response to The Straits Times' queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that firefighters from Paya Lebar and Changi fire stations were alerted to the blaze at 52 Chai Chee Street at about 8am.
The fire was 'well-alight' upon the firefighters' arrival and involved household items placed at the lift lobby, said SCDF . The fire was extinguished using one water jet.
Two units above the affected lift lobby sustained heat and soot damage , and 35 residents from the block were evacuated by the police and SCDF as a precautionary measure.
The seven people who were attended to declined to be taken to the hospital, said SCDF.
According to Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao, the fire involved the burning of incense paper near some 'miscellaneous' items.
Zaobao added that the fire affected power supply to the entire block.
In photos of the aftermath of the incident , a large amount of debris can be seen piled up in the lobby where the fire broke out, along with blackened pots, pans and charred wooden cabinets and chairs.
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The homeowner of the affected unit, a 66-year-old man who declined to be named, told Zaobao that he was in the unit when his wife was burning the incense paper outside their flat .
'She usually burns paper downstairs, but today she ran to the corridor to burn it for some reason. I wanted to stop her, but it was too late,' he reportedly said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
SCDF advised the public to help maintain a safe living environment by keeping common corridors, lift lobbies, and staircases free of clutter.
A cluttered corridor can increase the risk of fire spread, hinder evacuation efforts, and delay SCDF's response during an emergency, it added .