'Performance still went on': Flames seen on Our Tampines Hub roof after New Year fireworks display

Singapore ushered in the new year with multiple firework displays across the island, some of which were held in heartland areas like Boon Lay and Woodlands.

However, based on multiple videos posted online, Tampines residents reportedly started the new year witnessing flames shooting from the roof of Our Tampines Hub (OTH) shortly after the fireworks display.

In a TikTok video by @38mlow posted on Jan 1, smoke could be seen rising from the back of the roof of OTH, while multiple ambulances were seen entering the vicinity of the building. Ambulance sirens could also be heard.

The user, who only wanted to be known as Low, 40, told AsiaOne that he was at home when he noticed the fires at around 12.05am.

He had heard ambulance sirens coming from the street and filmed the videos from his house. He said that the fire came from the "level 5 running track area".

Another eyewitness, Calvin Chen, also posted about the fire. In his Facebook post, flames could similarly be seen on the roof of the building, and an ambulance was seen entering the building.

The 32-year-old Tampines resident told AsiaOne that he was at Block 856E Tampines Street 82, overlooking the field by OTH, when he noticed the fires at around 12.06am right after the fireworks display.

Chen also said that firefighters arrived around 10 minutes later and extinguished the fire in about 15 minutes.

"Somebody noticed the fire first after the fireworks and [had] pointed it out," Chen told AsiaOne. "I was thinking of calling 995 but somebody else already did."

Chen also said that the nobody in the crowd panicked, with most either "observing" the fire or taking photos and videos of it. 

"We noticed the performance still went on while the fire was ongoing and the fire engines arrived," Chen said.

Chen then said the police started re-routing the crowd away from the fire engines at about 12.30am, which had "blocked off the path from the hawker centre leading towards the mosque".

"Instead, [we had] to walk the path nearer to [Tampines] Central Park to exit OTH from the back," Chen said.

In a statement to AsiaOne, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) confirmed that they were alerted to a fire at 1 Tampines Walk at about 12.05am.

The fire involved a small patch of grass at the rooftop garden of the building, and the SCDF extinguished the fire using a hose reel.

There were no reported injuries and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

A statement posted to Our Tampines Hub's Facebook page on Thursday afternoon noted that the fire was extinguished by the People's Association Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), together with the SCDF.

It added that as a precautionary measure, a small grass patch in the affected area was temporarily cordoned off while safety checks were conducted.

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daoen.wong@asiaone.com