Fire breaks out at Choa Chu Kang Crescent flat; about 20 residents evacuated
Black soot marks could be seen on the exterior of the block, outside the unit's kitchen.
PHOTO: AsiaOne/Rauf Khan
A fire broke out at a Housing and Development Board (HDB) block in Choa Chu Kang on Wednesday (Sept 2) afternoon.
The incident happened at about 2.30pm at Block 684D Choa Chu Kang Crescent.
North West Community Development Council Mayor Alex Yam, who is also MP for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, said in a Facebook post just after 3.30pm that the fire involved the kitchen of a residential unit on the 14th floor.
According to Yam, the fire was swiftly put out.
He added that about 20 residents in the block were evacuated as a precautionary measure while Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers attended to the incident.
"Thank you to our SCDF officers for their swift response, and to our Town Council team who were quickly on site to assist," the fourth-term MP said.
Yam also appealed for patience from residents who may be concerned and eager to return home, as firefighters carry out assessment and recovery work to ensure it is safe for residents to do so.
Meanwhile, the Residents' Network Centre has been opened as a temporary holding area for affected residents.
"We will also follow up with the affected household to see what assistance they may need," Yam said, adding that he was simply relieved that everyone is safe.
A six-second video of the incident posted by Yam shows smoke billowing out from a unit on the top floor of the said block.
'Lot of smoke': Neighbour
A 28-year-old resident, who lives on the same floor, told AsiaOne that there was a lot of smoke coming out from the affected unit.
The neighbour, who only gave his name as Dang, said he was working from home when he detected a burning smell.
He decided to self-evacuate from his unit due to smoke.
Asked if he knew what might have caused the fire, he said his neighbours told him a kitchen appliance had caught fire.
According to Dang, a couple and their toddler live in the unit.
In response to AsiaOne's queries, SCDF stated that the fire, involving contents of the unit's kitchen, was put out using one water jet, adding that two persons had self-evacuated from the unit.
They were assessed for smoke inhalation and later taken to KK Women's and Children's Hospital and Singapore General Hospital respectively.
SCDF also reminded residents not to leave cooking unattended, and to keep stove-tops, cooker hoods and ovens clean and free of grease.
On Sept 1, a fire broke out in a third-floor unit at Block 8 Lorong Lew Lian.
A 68-year-old man was taken to Singapore General Hospital, where he later died.
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