Child, firefighter among 7 taken to hospital after Toa Payoh Lorong 8 unit fire

Seven people were taken to hospital after a fire broke out at a Toa Payoh HDB flat on Tuesday (July 29) afternoon.

The seven also include a firefighter and a child, according to Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Saktiandi Supaat.

In a Facebook post, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to a fire at the 10th floor unit of Block 229 Lor 8 Toa Payoh at 1.10pm.

At around 3.25pm, the SCDF said it brought the fire at the 10th-floor unit under control with two water jets.

Firefighters then conducted forcible entry into a unit on the 11th floor where they extinguished the fire with a water jet, according to an update by the SCDF around 5.30pm.

"Two persons from the affected unit on the 10th floor and three others from neighbouring units were assessed for smoke inhalation — one of whom also sustained burn injuries," the SCDF said in the update.

All five were sent to Singapore General Hospital, while a child from a neighbouring unit was assessed for smoke inhalation and sent to KK Women's and Children's Hospital.

A firefighter also experienced fatigue and felt unwell during the firefighting operation and was sent to SGH as a precaution.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC volunteers requested that all residents of Block 229 assemble at a multi-purpose hall near the void deck of the block.

Glass and parts of the window could be seen falling from the building amid the blaze.

Speaking with AsiaOne, Tan, who lives on the ninth floor of block 229, said he smelled something burning at around 1pm.

"I came out from my home and looked outside, and a woman in her 40s approached me for help," the 74-year-old said.

He learned that there was a fire happening above and called the SCDF before evacuating his wife and son.

When he reached the bottom of the block, he looked up and saw the fire spreading from the 10th to 11th floor, he told AsiaOne.

He said that the woman who approached him was a resident of the flat that caught fire, and believed that she was one of the residents who had been sent to the hospital.

"She had difficulty breathing," Tan recalled.

An elderly woman surnamed Chen said she noticed the fire around 2pm when she was about to leave home.

The 80-year-old, who lives in the neighbouring block 232, said she didn't smell anything burning, and rushed downstairs after she was notified of the fire.

"I saw smoke billowing from the flat... there were a lot of elderly people being wheeled to safety (below the block)," she told AsiaOne in Mandarin.

A resident of block 233 surnamed Hong shared that he wanted to open up his doors and windows to cool down his home when he saw the smoke and fire.

"I immediately changed my clothes and headed down to figure out what was going on," the 58-year-old said.

"I'm very thankful to the SCDF officers for responding quickly... it's not an easy task," Saktiandi stated, explaining that the firefighter had suffered smoke inhalation.

SCDF is still assessing the damage, he added, also sharing that residents are "doing well", although some may require medical assistance from the SCDF.

Additionally, residents on the 20th to 25th floor can return home, but the rest will have to wait, Saktiandi said.

Some units may not have gas for a few days, he added, saying that temporary housing is available for those in the affected units.

"Most importantly, there are no major or serious injuries for now," Saktiandi said. "As for the children, we'll need to assess... what the demographics are for those affected that have been brought to the hospital."

This incident comes just after two died in a fatal fire that broke out in a second-floor unit at Block 173 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 last Tuesday (July 22) evening.

Additional reporting by Ho Jia Fen and Rauf Khan.

khooyihang@asiaone.com