2 sent to hospital after prayer altar catches fire in Boon Keng, residents put it out

Boon Keng fire started at prayer altar outside 10th-floor unit

A prayer altar caused a fire to develop at a block in Boon Keng on Saturday (23 Aug) morning, resulting in two people being sent to the hospital.

In a heartening display of neighbourliness, residents of the affected block helped put out the fire, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

Prayer altar had caught fire at Boon Keng block

Mr Shawn Loh, an MP for Jalan Besar GRC, posted about the fire on Facebook on Saturday morning.

He said it took place at an HDB block along McNair Road, which is off Balestier Road and about 10 minutes’ walk from Boon Keng MRT.

It was caused by a prayer altar that caught fire, he added.

Fire extinguished before SCDF arrived

In response to queries from MS News, SCDF said it was alerted to the fire at about 4am on 23 Aug.

It involved a shelf outside a unit on the 10th floor of 112 McNair Road.

It was extinguished by members of the public before SCDF arrived, using buckets of water and a dry powder extinguisher.

MP praises neighbours for their vigilance & courage

Mr Loh praised the residents for their vigilance and courage in putting out the fire.

He noted that other neighbours went from door to door to wake the occupants up so they could evacuate.

The “kampung spirit” shown by the residents led to many of them being in good spirits in the morning despite the fire, the MP added.

One of the residents reportedly even said it was a “blessing to have good neighbours who look out for one another”.

2 people sent to hospital

Mr Loh also said he did not know of anybody who was hurt.

But SCDF said two people were sent to the hospital — one to the Singapore General Hospital and the other to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, SCDF added.

Focus on restoring power to block

Mr Loh said the authorities would focus on restoring power to the remaining half of the block.

This was expected to be completed by Saturday evening.

He did not mention how many households were affected by the power outage.

Jalan Besar Town Council and Residents Network are on site to help residents who need assistance, he added.

Also read: 3 persons hospitalised after Toa Payoh fire involving PMA, 50 residents evacuated

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Featured image adapted from Shawn Loh on Facebook.