Flash fire sparks explosion in S'pore Power building
By Jessica Jaganathan , Sujin Thomas
FOUR workers were injured in a flash fire which broke out at a Singapore Power substation on Somerset Road on Wednesday morning.
One worker suffered second degree burns on his hands and legs, while the others came down with smoke inhalation. They were taken to Singapore General Hospital.
The fire triggered a 20-minute power outage in the vicinity, and prompted mass evacuation of office workers in several buildings in the area.
In a statement shortly after the incident, SP PowerGrid said the fire occured at 10.07am at a substation.
Office workers in the area heard a loud explosion, followed by black smokes rising from the building.
Several nearby buildings reported brief power failures.
Some 500 workers in the SingPower building were asked to leave their premises and move outdoors.
The building management of The Heeren, which is about 300 metres away, also evacuated some 30 people from the shopping centre.
Mr Jae Liew, 41, a relations manager at The Heeren said he heard a 'loud bang', which immediately triggered a blackout in the building.
He added that the traffic lights in the area also went out of order.
'Power supply was interrupted in the vicinity of Somerset Road, and fully restored by 10.25am,' said the SP statement.
According to a Singapore Civil Defence Force spokesperson, a total of 2 fire engines, 2 ambulances, 2 red rhinos and 6 other support vehicle were sent.
Details of the smoke inhalation victims are as follows:
