Toa Payoh zi char hawker sent to hospital after helping to put out fire at neighbouring stall

A zi char hawker working at a coffee shop in Toa Payoh was taken to the hospital after he helped to put out a fire that broke out at a neighbouring stall. 

The incident took place at about 3.45pm on Tuesday (Oct 24) at the coffee shop located at Block 203 Toa Payoh North, reported Shin Min Daily News. 

An eyewitness told the Chinese evening daily that there were a few fire trucks and police cars at the scene that afternoon. 

When a reporter from Shin Min visited the coffee shop later that day, the premises were cordoned off. 

An employee from the coffee shop, surnamed Chen, said she called the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) when she saw that the ban mian stall had caught fire. 

A yong tau foo stall employee surnamed He told Shin Min that he saw the employee from the zi char stall use a fire extinguisher and a hose reel to put out the fire. 

When SCDF personnel arrived at the coffee shop, they took the zi char stall employee to the hospital, as he was suspected to have inhaled too much smoke. 

Forgot to turn off gas: Ban mian stall owner 

When interviewed, the owner of the ban mian stall, who is also surnamed Chen, recounted that she turned on the gas stove at the back of the stall to fry some fish. 

"A customer ordered noodles, so I started cooking and I forgot to turn off the gas for the pot at the back of the stall. 

"I later noticed a burning smell, and realised that the pot was on fire. The plastic containers above were also on fire. I panicked because the stack of plastic containers were too high up and I couldn't put out the fire," said the 51-year-old. 

In response to AsiaOne's queries, the SCDF said they were alerted to a fire at the coffee shop on Tuesday afternoon. 

The fire involved contents of a stall in a coffee shop on the first floor. 

"A coffee shop staff extinguished the fire using a hose reel and a fire extinguisher prior to SCDF's arrival," said SCDF. 

They also confirmed that one person was taken to Singapore General Hospital. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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claudiatan@asiaone.com