Washing machine catches fire, 'explodes' in Tampines flat

A woman was doing her laundry in her Tampines flat on Wednesday (Feb 25) when her washing machine suddenly caught fire, forcing her to flee the unit.

The homeowner had claimed that she heard something exploding in her flat at Block 226 Tampines Street 23, reported Shin Min Daily News.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force told AsiaOne it received a call for help at about 1.45pm and extinguished the fire using a water jet. There were no reported injuries, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Speaking to Shin Min, the homeowner surnamed Lin said she had loaded the washing machine with laundry and was cooking when she noticed smoke emitting from the appliance.

Using a bamboo pole, she switched off the power socket and then unplugged the machine.

But flames still emerged from inside the front-load machine, purchased six years ago, she said.

According to the report, about six or seven neighbours had gathered to help, and attempted to extinguish the fire in Lin's kitchen with water and a fire extinguisher.

They eventually evacuated due to poor visibility from the house-wide power outage and thick smoke.

Lin recalled hearing two explosions after they left.

Two residents also helped carry a 90-year-old woman in a wheelchair, who lives on the same floor as Lin, down a flight of stairs to reach the lift.

The blaze blackened the ceilings of Lin's home, and shards of glass presumably from the washing machine had scattered around her kitchen floor, Shin Min reported.

Lin said an electrician had restored power to her house, and she will have to renovate her kitchen.

"Luckily, nobody was injured," she added.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com