Woman suffers burns to arms after fire breaks out in kitchen of Sengkang flat at midnight

A simple meal preparation turned into a harrowing nightmare for one family in Sengkang late Friday night (April 16), when their kitchen caught fire.

One occupant of the four-room Compassvale flat, a 40-year-old preschool teacher, suffered burns to her hands after attempting to put out the flames.

In an interview with Lianhe Wanbao, the homeowner described how she was in the kitchen at about 11.15pm, preparing the family's breakfast for the next morning. There were two pots on the stove, one containing some gravy and the other contained oil for deep-frying chicken.

"I was very tired at the time, so I sat on the sofa in the living room to rest for a while and scrolled through my mobile phone," said the woman.


Not knowing how much time had passed, she was suddenly alerted to a strong burning smell and rushed to the kitchen to check.

To her horror, she discovered flames engulfing both pots on the stove, with the fire emitting thick plumes of smoke. She hurried to the bedrooms to wake her husband and children before rushing back to the kitchen to try and put out the fire.

In a state of panic, she threw a bucket of water over the stove, not realising that the action would cause an adverse reaction. The burning oil splashed out as a result, spreading the grease fire in the process.

"I instinctively put my hands up to protect my face and my arms got burnt," said the woman.

Her husband, a 43-year-old technician, told Wanbao that it was then that he heard a scream coming from the kitchen.

"My wife rushed out from the kitchen and both her hands were red and swollen."

Shaken and afraid, the family of six escaped from their home before the fire spread even further. They sought help from neighbours to dial 995. After the ambulance arrived, the woman was conveyed to Singapore General Hospital.

Member of Parliament for Sengkang GRC He Ting Ru posted about the incident on her Facebook page, indicating that the town council had visited the family and the unit. She noted that "luckily most of the damage had been contained to the kitchen, with pipes and most of the appliances in the kitchen destroyed by the blaze."

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/hetingru/posts/3552434341528376[/embed]

Photos of the soot-filled kitchen showed most of the kitchen countertop destroyed by the fire, with blackened walls and cabinets.

According to the Singapore Civill Defence Force, the fire was put out in the kitchen of the four-room HDB flat using a single hose. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

candicecai@asiaone.com