PUBLISHED ONMay 03, 2026 3:56 AMBYEsther LamTwo fires broke out in the same Punggol HDB block on the evening of May 1, forcing about 30 residents to be evacuated.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told AsiaOne it was alerted to the fires at about 6.50pm and 7.40pm respectively at Block 223A Sumang Lane.
The fires occurred at the ninth floor, involving discarded items along the ninth-floor common corridor, and a bedroom in a fourth-floor unit.
Both fires were extinguished using hose reels with no injuries reported from the first blaze, said SCDF.
The cause of both fires is under investigation.
Four people were assessed for smoke inhalation with three of them taken to KK Women's and Children's Hospital, while the other person was taken to Singapore General Hospital.
Two firefighters who felt unwell during the operation were taken to Singapore General Hospital as a precautionary measure and have both been discharged, added SCDF.
@asiaone The fires happened at Block 223A Sumang Lane in Punggol on Friday (May 1) evening. #sgnews #Singapore #HDB #Fire ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
The fire which involved a bedroom in a fourth-floor unit was apparently caused by a six-year-old boy who was playing with a lighter, reported Lianhe Zaobao.
The homeowner, identified as 35-year-old food delivery worker Si Denian (transliteration), told the Chinese daily he has been living in the two-bedroom unit with his wife, 35, who is eight weeks pregnant, for about eight years.
They have four other children.
Only Si, his wife, and their two sons, aged two and six, were home at the time of the incident.
Si suspected that while the family was sleeping in the bedroom, his six-year-old son was playing with a lighter and had accidentally ignited some tissues, which quickly spread into a major fire.
He added that authorities have arranged temporary accommodation for the family and HDB would repair the unit as soon as possible.
Senior Minister of State for National Development and Transport Sun Xueling told Lianhe Zaobao that arrangements had been made for Si's family to spend the night at the Residents' Network Centre.
Grassroots volunteers also purchased basic necessities such as food, baby formula, and towels for them.
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