Loyal readers call TNP hotline over fires, road accidents

A fire that broke out at a Singapore Highpolymer Chemical Products factory on March 6 was so large Mr Osman Mohd saw it from about 2km away.

Mr Osman, 68, who lives on the 11th storey in Teban Gardens, said it looked at least five storeys tall and gave off thick, black smoke.

The security guard said: "It was extremely dangerous. What if there was an explosion or if people breathed in poisonous smoke?"

Alarmed, he called The New Paper hotline.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) deployed 50 personnel and put out the fire after 1½ hours.

Three workers were taken to Singapore General Hospital. The article on the fire was published in the March 7 edition of the paper.

He said: "I am proud that I had helped to publicise it, because people should know how dangerous fires are especially if there are chemicals around.

"I like The New Paper because it reports events in a straightforward and direct manner. It tells me what I want to know quickly and is easy to read."

Another reader, Mr Lan Chee Kiong, 62, called TNP when he saw another fire that disrupted the Bukit Panjang LRT services last Monday.

A power trip in a train between Pending and Jelapang stations at 5.30pm caused it to stall, forcing around 40 passengers to walk on the tracks to Pending station.

Before services could resume, a fire broke out in an electrical room at Senja station around 5.45pm.

BREAKDOWNS

Mr Lan, a deliveryman said: "If I had taken the LRT later, I might have been trapped. There have been so many train breakdowns, it is important to raise awareness so something can be done about it."

The fire was put out using a fire extinguisher. The article was published in TNP last Tuesday.

Mr Lan has been reading TNP for over 20 years and likes it because of its attention-grabbing human-interest stories.

Mr Subramaniam Arumugan, 44, a storekeeper, saw a motorcycle underneath a truck on the Jalan Kayu flyover last Wednesday.

He said: "There have been many road accidents recently, and I wanted to let everyone know to be more careful while driving."

The article was published in TNP the next day.

He said: "I have been reading TNP since the first issue came out in 1988. I like its in-depth local sports coverage and clear writing."

Another reader, Mr Gary Haris, 40, was stuck in a jam at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 for about 45 minutes last Friday at about 8am while sending his children to a childcare centre last Friday.

He called TNP when he discovered that the accident was caused by a taxi colliding into a tree. The article was published the next day.

For their story tip-offs, these readers will each receive a $100 KFC voucher. We value your calls and e-mails, so keep them coming. Call us at 1800-733-4455, SMS or MMS 9477-8899, or e-mail us at tnp@sph.com.sg

ycchin@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Mar 16, 2015.
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