350 evacuated in Mandarin Orchard fire

About 350 hotel guests had to be evacuated after a fire broke out in a sixth-floor kitchen at Mandarin Orchard on Tuesday night.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire at around 11.40pm.

The fire, which involved the contents in the kitchen, was put out using two water jets within 30 minutes.

A 69-year-old man suffered injuries to his left arm, as well as minor head injuries, and was taken to Singapore General Hospital, SCDF added.

Another four guests were treated by paramedics for minor injuries at the scene. They declined to be sent to hospital.

A spokesman for Mandarin Orchard said one of its staff had discovered the fire at about 11.30pm.

The hotel's in-house Company Emergency Response Team (Cert) attempted to contain the fire while waiting for the SCDF personnel to arrive.

Hotel guests were evacuated to the nearby *Scape before help from the SCDF arrived, the spokesman said.

They were escorted back to their respective floors in the hotel by about 1.20am, after the premises were deemed safe by the authorities.

The spokesman said the hotel was in contact with its injured guest and was rendering the necessary assistance.

"Ensuring the safety and security of our guests and employees are top priority for us... meanwhile, we remain in close coordination with all involved agencies as they continue further into their investigations."

SCDF is still investigating the cause of the fire.

minkok@sph.com.sg

Read also: Mandarin Orchard, Bt Panjang coffeeshop caught fire, after Tangs Plaza incident

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