Family halts Hari Raya celebration to help extinguish fire at Pasir Ris HDB rubbish chute

A family in Pasir Ris took a pause from their Hari Raya celebrations on Sunday (March 22) for a good cause — helping to put out a blaze which erupted at a nearby rubbish collection point.

The incident occurred at Block 150 Pasir Ris Street 13.

In a video uploaded to Instagram by user Ichapiku on March 23, three men dressed in thobes — traditional loose-fitting robes also known as 'jubah' — can be seen extinguishing a raging fire at the bin room on the first floor.

Speaking to AsiaOne, Ichapiku, who wished to be known only as Icha, 30, said she and her family were visiting her aunt that night when they suddenly heard the sound of a bell ringing at around 8.30pm.

Her husband, Kayden Zaqarya Abdullah, 31, was the first to spot flames emitting from the vents of the ground-floor chute at the opposite block. Kayden and Icha's brothers quickly sprang into action, helping to find fire extinguishers before rushing down to fight the flames. 

Icha told AsiaOne that her husband only realised how large the fire was after opening the shutter to the chute. 

In the video, Kayden and another member of the public can be seen aiming fire extinguishers at the blaze.

Another man, believed to be one of Kayden's brothers-in-law, is later seen using a hose to put out the remaining flames before officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force arrived on the scene.

'Natural response' kicked in 

According to Icha, her husband's "natural response" kicked in the moment he noticed the fire.

"He’s a paramedic by profession so he’s pretty well-trained in being calm and composed in emergency situations. We have stopped for many road traffic accidents just for him to go and assist," shared Icha. 

Kayden has been a paramedic since 2015, said Icha, and the couple has a three-year-old child.

"We were all pretty proud to see the boys in our family come together and see them in action!" Icha added.

@asiaone A family paused their Hari Raya celebrations on Sunday (March 22) to help put out a fire at a rubbish collection point at a Pasir Ris HDB block. #sgnews #Singapore #HDB #Fire #NotAllHeroesWearCapes ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

Icha's sentiments were shared by netizens who praised her family members' selfless actions.

Said one Instagram user: "Amazing job! This is exactly what we need in our community — love this!"

"Not all heroes wear a cape, some wear a 'jubah'," commented another.

Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the SCDF said it was alerted to the fire at about 8.30pm.

SCDF said members of the public extinguished the fire using a hose reel and dry powder fire extinguishers before its arrival.

There were no reported injuries and an investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.

AsiaOne has also reached out to the police for more information.

helmy.saat@asiaone.com

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