In just the past six-and-half months, there were 15 fire-related incidents at HDB flats which we know of – or at least the ones we’ve read about in mainstream media.

The most severe is the one which happened at Bedok on May 13, 2022 (a Friday), when a fire broke out in a fourth-floor housing flat at 409 Bedok North Avenue 2. It killed three people – a 56-year-old woman, a 35-year-old man and his young 3-year-old toddler.

In June, there were four reported fire incidents at HDB flats.  Recently, in July, 25 people were evacuated after a fire broke out at 682 Hougang Avenue 4 (coincidentally (but unrelated), it’s the same block that saw the sale of the record-breaking $23.8 million kopitiam in July 2013).

So have these fire incidents in HDB flats increased? What are the common and uncommon causes? More importantly, are they much, more severe these days?

As a homeowner with families and guests, it is imperative that you fire-proof your home at all times – whether it’s an HDB flat, condo or landed house.

Understandably, you may brush off the probability that these incidents will happen to you (or you may leave it to your fire insurance…), but house fires do not just damage property content – they do endanger lives and livelihoods as well.

Have fire incidents in HDB flats increased?

In July 2022, PAP’s Ms Foo Mee Har (MP for West Coast GRC) asked the Minister of Home Affairs three questions:

(a) the number of fire cases in HDB estates in the past years

(b) what are the top three reasons for these incidents; and

(c) whether cluttered homes filled with combustible materials is a key risk factor

Contrary to what some of us might think, Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law, shared that in the past five years, fire cases in HDB estates have been steadily decreasing, from 1,260 in 2017 to 898 in 2021.

Common and uncommon causes of these fires

Shanmugam also attributed the main causes to unattended cooking, indiscriminate disposals of lighted materials like cigarette butts and fires of electrical origin such as those caused by faulty wirings and electrical appliances.

He did not think cluttered homes have been a key fire risk, and most household items, such as furniture and electrical appliances, are made of plastic, wood or metal, which do not catch fire easily.

Echoing some similar responses, CJ from Blaze Guard, which specialises in home fire alarm devices as well as home and car fire extinguishers, shared a further breakdown.

“The more common causes of fire include but are not limited to charging of Personal Mobility Devices/Power-Assisted Bikes (PMDs/PABs), unattended cooking and household contents. Uncommon causes of fire will include faulty distribution board (DB) boxes or electrical boxes.

“According to SCDF 2021 statistics, there is a very small decrease in fires of residential premises from 1054 cases in 2020 to 1010 cases in 2021. However, there’s an increase in electrical fires and household contents by 2.7 per cent and 10.2 per cent, respectively.”

What about the severity?

CJ shared that there have been more fatalities from fire cases in 2021 versus 2020.

What’s even more alarming is that there were more fire injuries with 194 cases in 2021 compared to 184 in 2020 and this seems to be increasing year on year.

Fire injuries can range from minor and serious burns to airway obstruction and respiratory failure from smoke inhalation.

While we don’t have the number of total fire calls for 2022 just yet, we do know that there have been at least 4 reported fatalities from fire cases in residential premises in 2022. This could potentially show a higher percentage of severe cases this year.

Here’s a table of total calls to SCDF, calls from residential premises (HDB, condo, etc.), fire injuries and fatalities since 2018:

Data sources: SCDF Annual Statistics 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021. *Excludes rubbish fires (which were included in SCDF’s 2018 annual statistics).

So even with decreasing number of fire calls, the number of fire injuries (as of 2021) and fatalities (as of 2022) seem to be on the rise.

CJ explained that in Singapore, where our homes are constructed from concrete and bricks, the severity of fires is usually correlated with the amount of household content.

“A fire in a home with a lot of clutter is likely to burn faster and stronger, and thus likely to be more severe.”

Prevention measures

While there are continued fire safety awareness events and roadshows organised by the SCDF, People’s Association, National Fire and Emergency Preparedness Council (NFEC) and Community Emergency and Engagement (C2E), taking a more proactive approach to fire-proofing your home should be first and foremost in your mind.

Here are some tips from SingHealth’s HealthXchange:

1. Switch off all appliances and electrical outlets when not in use or before leaving your home.
2. Shut down your computer and turn off the power switch when you’re leaving for the day.
3. Do not overload electrical outlets.
4. Install smoke detectors in your home to alert you to the presence of smoke.
5. Do not overcharge your mobile devices such as handphones and tablets by leaving them to charge overnight.
6. Never store combustible items/materials near heat sources.
7. Check for broken wires and exposed wiring, and if you find any, replace them.
8. Properly extinguish cigarette butts before throwing them into the rubbish chute.
9. Keep matches and lighters safely stowed away from children.
10. Keep a 1-kg dry powder fire extinguisher in your bedroom in case of emergency.
11. Purchase a smoke escape mask that can protect you from toxic smoke for up to 20 min.

CJ goes on to share further tips on some of these items you can get for your home:

Smoke detectors

It is extremely important to not just install smoke detectors, but install them along the escape route to the main door. This ensures the escape route is not already covered in flames or dense poisonous smoke by the time the smoke detectors are triggered.

Use smoke detectors powered by lithium batteries as these batteries are meant to last for 10 years, which is the operational lifespan of a smoke detector. This is to avoid the smoke detector running out of power. It also provides convenience without the need to keep replacing batteries.

Do regular testing (we recommend at least once per month) of the smoke detector to ensure they are in working order. This also helps the family to be familiar with the alarm sound.

Fire extinguishers

Have at least two dry powder fire extinguishers in different parts of the home.

We recommend one in the bedroom and one in the kitchen/living room. This is to avoid a situation where the only fire extinguisher available is the one in the burning area.

Do regular checks to ensure there’s sufficient pressure (needle in the green zone) in the dry powder fire extinguishers (recommended at least once every six months). Send for servicing if there’s insufficient pressure (needle in the red zone).

Alternatively, consider getting aerosol-based fire extinguishers that are non-pressurised.

As these are non-pressurised, there’s no need to check for sufficient pressure.

Fire blankets

Stock a few at home. They are useful for putting out small kitchen fires. They also offer some heat protection against fire when running out of a burning home by wrapping oneself in it.

Only buy charging adapters/power extensions (or any electrical appliances) with valid SAFETY Mark and charging cables from reputable manufacturers.

Get a qualified electrician to check the distribution board if there are frequent power trips OR a situation where your lights flicker, there’s a momentary power cut before power returns again.

Know your fire escape route

You should be able to escape from the main door without visual navigation.

Smoke is always present in a fire. It may make it hard to see clearly or keep your eyes open all the time.

It’s not uncommon to find fire fatalities very near the main door (as they are unable to find the fire escape or the keys to unlock their door).

For families with kids, a fun way to do a home fire drill is to blindfold them and see if they can make their way out from their bedroom to the main door.

Also, have the keys to the main door/gate in a fixed place you and everyone living in the house can remember (instead of a random placement). This allows the one nearest to the main door to access the keys, and unlock and open it even in limited-visibility situations.

Finally, this comes not as prevention advice but as a reminder:

NEVER try to extinguish pans/pots on fires with water. Water will cause the burning oil to splash and spread the fire beyond the pans/pots.

NEVER try to extinguish electrical fires with water as water is a conductor of electricity and may cause electrocution.

This article was first published in 99.co.