SINGAPORE - An early morning fire razed a two-storey house along Parry Ave in Yio Chu Kang on Tuesday morning.
Two people perished in the blaze and five other people were injured.
According to a report by Lianhe Wanbao, there were a total of 10 occupants in the house when the fire broke out. The two dead victims were the wife of the house owner, who is a businessman, and a middle-aged Caucasian man, who was a business partner with the latter.
Five others, including two men, two women and a child were sent to hospital for smoke inhalation.
The fire was believed to have been caused by a short circuit, which led to an electrical appliance in the house catching fire.
At the time of the fire, there were six people on the second storey of the house, including two children, aged 10 and 8.
The house owner, his son, daughter-in-law and an older grandson managed to escape the fire. His younger grandson, who was with a maid at the back of the house, was saved when she jumped through a window to escape.
The house owner's wife was found in a toilet on the second floor, while the male victim was found on the second floor.
Two other occupants, the house owner's 80-year-old father and another maid, were on the first floor at the time of the fire. They managed to get out with help from firemen.
In a statement, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the fire at about 3am at No 6A, Parry Avenue off Yio Chu Kang Road.
SCDF dispatched three fire engines, three ambulances, three Red Rhino and six support vehicles. Upon their arrival, they found the fire had engulfed the whole house and had penetrated through the roof.
SCDF officers used four water jets to penetrate the burning house, while two additional jets were also deployed to prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent unit.
The fire was brought under control within half an hour, and was fully extinguished at about 4.30am.
Six occupants had evacuated themselves prior to the SCDF's arrival. The firefighters also aided two other occupants, which included an elderly man, out of the burning house.
Two bodies were found on the second floor of the house, said SCDF.
The five casualties were conveyed to Singapore General Hospital for treatment, while one of the firefighters was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for heat exhaustion.
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