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Kitchen fire that claimed man's life ruled an accident
Elena Chong Mon, Mar 31, 2008 The Straits Times
A CLEANER at a Teochew clan association in Geylang, detecting a whiff of gas on the premises last April, alerted the caretaker, who insisted there was no gas odour. The man, 72-year-old Tan Jwee Kong, then turned on the stove in a makeshift kitchen at the Teo Ann Huay Kuan, sparking an explosion. The burns, covering 60 per cent of his body, killed him four days later.

A coroner's court on Friday recorded a verdict of misadventure in the explosion.

Senior station inspector Soh Eng Seng, from the Criminal Investigation Department's Bomb and Explosive Investigation Division, said Mr Tan set up the makeshift cooking area - a stove on a stainless steel cabinet with a cylinder of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) - in December 2006 because he was at the clan association's premises most of the time.

He was the only one who used the kitchen, which had a door leading to an unventilated stairwell.

Last April 9, Madam Koh was washing the carpark area near the stairwell when she smelt gas. Approaching the locked door, she became sure that the smell was from there.

When Mr Tan showed up later, she told him about the smell. He unlocked the door, and a strong smell of gas hit her - but he said he smelled nothing.

Madam Koh then went outdoors to continue with her work.

Shortly after, she entered the stairwell through the door again and heard Mr Tan say once more that there was no smell of gas.

Then she saw him turn on the stove and immediately, there was a flash fire.

Senior Station Insp Soh said that investigations found that the tube linking the LPG cylinder to the stove had a break in it, likely to have been caused by ageing and stress.

A Health Sciences Authority officer ruled out the possibility that the tube had been tampered with.

Senior Station Insp Soh noted that the gas regulator had no anti-leak feature, which could have resulted in an accumulation of enough gas to trigger a flash fire and an explosion in the presence of an ignition source.

When The Straits Times visited Madam Koh at her home on Friday, she declined to be interviewed. Her face and arms still bear the scars of the accident.

No one was in at the late Mr Tan's home.

Following the blast, a 48-year-old destitute was initially charged with causing Mr Tan grievous hurt by fire.

The man, Ng Ek Hong, was later given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal.

elena@sph.com.sg