SINGAPORE - Thick black smoke was rapidly pouring out of an eatery in Chinatown.
It eventually cloaked other restaurants in the row of shophouses there.
It was so bad that people could not tell where it was coming from.
"There was smoke all over the place, so we rushed out," said the owner of Japanese restaurant Oyoge Taiyaki.
Mr Andy Lee, 32, told The New Paper that his entire shop was filled with black smoke.
"It was so thick, I couldn't really see anything," he said.
Mr Lee said the smoke came from one of the restaurants down the row of eateries, but he was not sure which one.
LARGE CROWD
The fire started at around 5.30pm yesterday on New Bridge Road and drew a large crowd to the area.
When TNP arrived at about 6pm, the smoke had died down but the charred smell was still strong. A large area around the restaurants was cordoned off by the police.
An employee of another Chinese restaurant in the area, Dong Bei Chan Ting, said he also saw smoke.
"The smoke wasn't in our restaurant, but we saw it outside and went out to see what was going on," said the Chinese national, who did not want to be named.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force sent three fire engines, two fire bikes and one support vehicle to the location.
The fire was put out using two water jets and one fire extinguisher. No injuries were reported.
A man believed to be the owner of the place that caught fire was heard telling the police that he did not see a fire, only smoke.
The man refused to comment when approached by reporters.
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