Off-duty SCDF officer uses hose reel to fight fire at Choa Chu Kang void deck
When a fire broke out in a recycling bin at a Choa Chu Kang void deck, an off-duty Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officer leapt into action.
He grabbed a hose reel and fought the fire until on-duty SCDF personnel arrived to extinguish it.
Source: Dhilly on Facebook
Off-duty SCDF officer uses hose reel from carpark to fight fire
The incident occurred at around 6.20pm on 9 March.
A nearby resident, who wished to be referred to as Dhilly, told MS News that he noticed smoke from outside his window.
Taking a look, he saw the smoke rising from the neighbouring Block 657 Choa Chu Kang Crescent.
Source: Dhilly on Facebook
Concerned that there was a fire, Dhilly rushed over to see if any help was needed.
Dhilly found that an electronic waste (e-waste) recycling bin in the void deck had caught fire. The flames appeared to have spread to two other recycling bins next to it.
However, an off-duty SCDF officer was already at the scene. The officer unrolled an emergency fire hose reel from a nearby carpark and fought the fire with it.
Source: Dhilly on Facebook
SCDF firefighters arrive and extinguish recycling bin fire
Dhilly told MS News that the quick-thinking SCDF officer managed to mostly extinguish the fire. However, smoke continued rising from inside the bins.
He added that SCDF firefighters arrived about five minutes later.
Source: Dhilly on Facebook
The SCDF told MS News that the fire involved the contents of a rubbish chute.
“SCDF extinguished the fire with fire extinguishers and a hose reel,” they stated. “An off-duty SCDF Civil Defence Auxiliary Unit officer had also rendered assistance during the incident.”
Furthermore, SCDF received no reports of injuries and is currently investigating the cause of the fire.
Source: Dhilly on Facebook
Eyewitness praises officer as courageous hero
In a post on the Facebook group Friends of Yew Tee, Dhilly praised the off-duty SCDF officer as a “hero”.
“[I] didn’t manage to get his name, but I would like to thank him for his courageous act,” he wrote.
In the comments, Marsiling-Yew Tee Town Council stated that they would conduct a site check and address any damaged property.
Source: Facebook
Dhilly agreed that an e-waste recycling bin in the void deck is a good initiative.
Source: Dhilly on Facebook
However, he suggested that there should be some sort of fire suppression system ready to activate in the case of a blaze.
Also read: Car catches fire below Ang Mo Kio MRT tracks, no injuries reported
Car catches fire below Ang Mo Kio MRT tracks, no injuries reported
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Featured image adapted from Dhilly on Facebook.
