Female victim injured in Bukit Batok fire still in ICU, 2 male victims discharged

SINGAPORE - The female victim injured in the Bukit Batok fire which erupted two weeks ago is still undergoing medical treatment in Singapore General Hospital's Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

A spokesman for SGH confirmed this, and that two male victims who were also rescued from the fire have been discharged.

The woman, who is in her 60s, was rescued from a 13th-floor unit of Block 210A, Bukit Batok Street 21, along with her husband and son, on Nov 1.

The woman's husband, believed to be in his 60s, was discharged from the hospital last week, while her son, in his 30s, was discharged on Friday (Nov 15).

They were taken to SGH for smoke inhalation and burn injuries after the fire, which began at about 4am.

The woman had taken refuge inside the toilet of her one-room flat and was taken to safety by first responders.

Officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) rescued the two men from a ledge of the burning flat using a 60m-long ladder with a rescue cage.

After the incident, SCDF issued a warning to Jurong-Clementi Town Council as its officers were unable to use the fire hoses during the fire.

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In a statement issued on Nov 8, SCDF said the fire had to be extinguished using water from its emergency vehicles after officers found a few hose reel cabinets in the block locked with padlocks.

Bukit Batok MP Murali Pillai addressed the incidents in a Facebook post on Friday.

In his post, Mr Murali said he has visited the three victims in hospital along with community volunteers.

Referring to one of them as Madam Goh, he said he knew her personally and she "still figures in my prayers every day".

He also said that after the three victims had been sent to hospital on the day of the fire, he and his volunteers had channelled their energies into helping the affected families staying on the 14th and 15th floors of the block.

"They were not able to use their toilets, draw water, etc. because the service pipes were damaged by the fire on the 13th floor. Through the coordination of our community volunteers, HDB and Town Council, we managed to restore services in record time. We distributed emergency relief packages for affected families," he said.

"I also met and thanked several residents who helped with the evacuation during the (fire)."

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.