POLICE, after classifying the recent Hougang shophouse fire as one caused by mischief, are looking for a group of teenagers who were spotted walking past a mini-mart moments before it shop went up in flames.

In a statement on Thursday, police said a witness saw a group of five Chinese teenagers, including a girl, walking past the shop just before the fire broke out between 1.10 am and 1.25 am on Sept 13.

The boys were wearing bermudas and the girl was wearing shorts. Some of them sported messed up and spiky hair.

The early-morning blaze killed two siblings - Miss Ng Lay Hua, 27, and Mr Ng Yong Soon, who lived with their parents in a third-floor flat at Block 683, Hougang Avenue 8.

Their tragic deaths resulted from a wrong turning. They had run down a staircase next to their flat that led them smack into the heart of the fire between two burning shophouses.

Anyone with information on the case can call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000.