30-07-2025
'Super entitled': Toa Payoh fire victim faces backlash online over comments
The massive fire that broke out at Block 229 Lorong 8 Toa Payoh on the afternoon of July 29 transfixed Singaporeans.
Videos of thick black smoke billowing from a 10th-floor unit, with the fire spreading to the units above, circulated widely.
However, sympathy has quickly turned to anger, with the owner of the Toa Payoh flat now facing an online backlash for apparently "blaming" the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
By the time the SCDF extinguished the fire at around 3.30pm, the unit had been completely destroyed in just over two hours.
"Everything is gone," Tan Chee Siah, 55, told CNA. He told the broadcaster that he was in a difficult financial situation, as he previously owned an interior design firm, but lost his job during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Since then, he has been taking on temporary delivery jobs to support his family. He resides with his wife, 41, who is unemployed, their three children, helper and dog.
"I cannot make ends meet. Now they have no spare clothing... No nothing,"
'Super entitled'
However, a thread in the r/Singapore subreddit quickly amassed over 220 comments, with netizens slamming Mr Tan for appearing to draw public sympathy.
While he was grateful to the firefighters for extinguishing the flames, he also told CNA that he initially believed the flat might have been salvageable.
He added that it took the firefighters some time before they began hosing down the flames, adding that improvements are needed to enhance fire safety measures in the estate.
"No shame to still blame SCDF for prioritising their own safety, the safety of others, containing the fire and not saving their apartment," said one commentor, who pointed out that the firefighters' job was to extinguish the fire, not save the flat.
Another described Mr Tan as "super entitled" for suggesting that SCDF took too long to extinguish the blaze, adding that firefighters are likely required to assess the situation thoroughly before acting.
Some also questioned the severity of Mr Tan's financial hardship, pointing out that his household includes a domestic helper, a car, and a pet dog, despite having to provide for three children.
One commenter pointed out that his children still have his parents and that Mr Tan should "be grateful".
