Fire breaks out at Bugis coffee shop, 1 taken to hospital

One person was taken to hospital after fire broke out at a coffee shop in Bugis on Thursday (March 19).

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told AsiaOne it was alerted to the incident at Block 269B Queen Street about 11.15am. The coffee shop is across the road from shopping mall Bugis+.

Videos shared on Xiaohongshu show a crowd forming near the coffee shop and looking at a plume of smoke.

SCDF said the fire involved the kitchen exhaust duct and was extinguished using two water jets.

Ten people were assessed for smoke inhalation and breathlessness, and one of them was subsequently taken to Singapore General Hospital.

About 20 people were evacuated from the affected block by police and SCDF.

When AsiaOne arrived at the coffee shop at about 12.30pm, most of the smoke had dissipated. Half-eaten meals and drinks were seen abandoned on the tables.

An employee of the cai fan stall, surnamed Liu, confirmed to AsiaOne that the fire had started from his stall.

Several residents and stall owners revealed that the smoke was thick and felt oppressive.

Noodle stall owner Irene Tan, 55, said she was cooking when she heard someone shouting that there was a fire.

"Everyone left our bags, phones and rushed outside," she said.

@asiaone A fire broke out at a coffee shop at Block 269B Queen Street on Thursday (March 19) at about 11.15am. The Singapore Civil Defence Force said the blaze involved the kitchen exhaust duct and was extinguished using two water jets. The cause of the fire is under investigation. #sgnews #Singapore #Fire #coffeshop #scdf ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

Yong tau foo seller Lin Yanyan told AsiaOne that the smoke had spread to her stall's exhaust.

"My two phones and the cash box were inside [the coffee shop], and I wanted to retrieve them," said the hawker.

"But there was a lot of smoke, and it felt hard to breathe. If I went in, I wouldn't be able to come out. My life is more important than the phones."

Investigation is ongoing.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com