A fire that broke out in an HDB flat in Aljunied was reportedly started by a burning candle in the unit.
After the blaze was put out, it was discovered that the flat was filled with items.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
The clutter included piles of bags that reached up to the windows.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted at about 7.05am on Friday (19 Aug) morning, they told the Shin Min Daily News.
They dispatched firefighters to Block 3 Upper Aljunied Lane, where a six-floor unit was on fire.
Source: Google Maps
They used a single water jet to put out the blaze.
Prior to the SCDF’s arrival, three people had already self-evacuated from the block.
10 other residents were evacuated by officers.
Two people were also assessed by medics, reported The Straits Times (ST).
However, both of them were of the opinion that they didn’t need to be sent to hospital.
After the fire died down, it was found that the affected flat was filled with items.
There were so many piles of bags of clothes in there that they reached up to the windows, ST said.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
Stacks of newspapers were also found, as well as spare home appliances like radios and fans.
Charred items that had caught fire were loaded into rubbish bins, and by 12pm they had filled 14 large bins.
Neighbours who helped bin the debris said cockroaches were all over the flat.
According to preliminary investigations, the fire started due to a single lit candle in the flat’s living room.
Considering the amount of stuff in the flat, the blaze would then have spread rapidly.
The SCDF thus reminded the public not to leave burning candles, incense or tea lights unattended.
They should also be extinguished before leaving the house.
The flat owner, 75-year-old Mdm Teo Bong Chee, told Shin Min that she lives alone.
She’d lit a candle before going out, she said, and forgot to extinguish it.
The woman had gone to another flat she had nearby to clean up and get some exercise nearby, she said.
Usually, she used a battery-operated lamp, but lit the candle that morning to “save electricity”.
Unfortunately, she returned to a charred flat.
Potong Pasir MP Sitoh Yih Pin told ST that the town council would give Mdm Teo some financial assistance, and the debris should be cleared by Friday night.
The evacuated residents returned to their flats by 11.30am.
The Aljunied fire is the third one in a week.
A flat in Jurong East caught fire earlier this week, claiming the life of a 48-year-old man.
A blaze broke out a second time the next day, possibly as a result of embers deep within the rubble.
The affected unit was reportedly piled high with debris and used appliances, spilling out onto the corridor.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook and Facebook.
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