Pasir Ris residents celebrating Hari Raya extinguish fire at HDB block before SCDF arrives
A family celebrating Hari Raya in Pasir Ris noticed a fire at their HDB block and leapt into action to fight the blaze.
Using a fire extinguisher and a hose reel, the residents successfully put the fire out before firefighters arrived.
Image courtesy of Ms Icha
Hari Raya celebrations interrupted by fire
30-year-old Ms Icha told MS News that the incident occurred at Block 150 Pasir Ris Street 13 last Sunday (22 March).
Her family was enjoying Hari Raya Puasa celebrations at her aunt’s house when they heard a bell-like sound at 8.30pm.
Initially, Ms Icha assumed the sound came from an ice-cream vendor or the lift. They then smelled something burning and realised it was the fire alarm.
They saw that a fire had started in the centralised rubbish chute on the ground floor.
Ms Icha’s husband, Mr Pravin @ Kayden Zaqarya Abdullah, quickly headed down while dressed in his white jubah (also known as a thobe).
He opened the shutter and a large fire was burning away inside, spewing smoke out.
Image courtesy of Ms Icha
Members of the public put out fire with fire extinguishers and hose
Another member of the public arrived with a fire extinguisher, in an attempt to put out the fire.
Image courtesy of Ms Icha
Mr Kayden followed shortly, with a second fire extinguisher he found in the rubbish chute area.
Image courtesy of Ms Icha
They managed to put out some of the fire, but flames continued to burn from inside the centralised rubbish chute.
Image courtesy of Ms Icha
Ms Icha’s brothers and other members of the public also stepped in to help.
She said they went to look for more fire extinguishers and cleared the area. Several people unrolled a hose reel and used it to continue battling the fire.
Source: @ichapiku on Instagram
Ms Icha told MS News that they fought the fire for about 10 minutes before it was put out.
She and her family cheered her husband and brothers as they left the scene, praising them as heroes.
When asked about why they decided to step in, she responded: “It’s natural for them.”
Source: @ichapiku on Instagram
“He’s a paramedic by profession, so he’s well trained to be composed and calm in emergency situations,” Ms Icha explained about her husband.
Fire extinguished before SCDF arrival
According to Ms Icha, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) arrived within eight minutes of being alerted.
In response to an MS News query, SCDF stated that members of the public had extinguished the fire using a hose reel and dry powder fire extinguishers.
This all occurred before SCDF arrived at the scene.
Image courtesy of Ms Icha
SCDF confirmed that there were no reported injuries.
They added that the fire involved contents in the centralised rubbish chute, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
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Featured images courtesy of Ms Icha and adapted from @ichapiku on Instagram.
