'No shame asking for help': Man raises over $78k after fire burnt down his Hougang flat

More than $78,000 has been raised within two days after a Hougang resident appealed for help online following his family's HDB flat being burnt down.

In an Instagram post by @helloimbright on Monday (June 1), the man wrote: "I've processed my emotions already so I've decided that there's no shame in asking for some help in a situation like this."

The resident, who was out for supper when the fire broke out, said an extension plug caught fire, leaving his home gutted and his parents taken to the Intensive Care Unit.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force earlier told AsiaOne they were alerted to the fire at Block 238 Hougang Avenue 1 at about 1.30am on May 19. The blaze involved contents of a bedroom in a 12th-floor unit and was extinguished with a water jet.

Despite having fire insurance, the resident found the coverage to be insufficient as many things could not be claimed. 

Expecting the costs to renovate his home to be high, he decided to launch a fundraising campaign.

More than $78,000 has been raised with the help of over 1,200 donors as of Tuesday evening. The man's goal is to raise $140,000.

Parents still in ICU 

The resident's friend, Sora Poh, who helped launch the fundraiser on Give.Asia, wrote that the man's parents were asleep when the fire broke out. 

The couple tried to escape the smoke-logged unit but were in a disoriented state after being exposed to carbon monoxide.

The man's father then helped his mother into the toilet for safety and rushed to open the windows to call for help before collapsing. 

Poh added that the man's parents remain hospitalised, with his mother suffering from severe and short-term memory loss. Upon discharge, they may need a caregiver and rehabilitation, leaving them unable to work. 

Among the challenges the family faces are medical expenses, accommodation and renovation.

The man declined to comment when contacted by AsiaOne.

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esther.lam@asiaone.com