4 sent to hospital after Chai Chee HDB fire, about 50 residents evacuated

MP Tan Kiat How thanks SCDF, Town Council & volunteers for swift response to Chai Chee Avenue fire

A late-night fire broke out at Block 31 Chai Chee Avenue on Friday (5 Sept), leaving four men in hospital and forcing about 50 residents to evacuate their homes.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told MS News that it was alerted to the blaze at around 11.05pm.

Firefighters arrived to find the living room of an eighth-floor unit engulfed in flames.

They extinguished the fire with a water jet. Fortunately, no one was inside the affected flat when SCDF arrived.

As a precaution, SCDF and the police evacuated about 50 residents from the block.

Residents were moved to temporary lodging while electricians carried out urgent repairs in the block.

4 men taken to hospital, firefighter injured

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) told MS News that four men, aged between 20 and 78, were taken conscious to the hospital conscious.

SCDF added that three residents from neighbouring units were assessed for smoke inhalation — two were sent to Changi General Hospital and one to Singapore General Hospital (SGH).

A firefighter was also taken to SGH for treatment after suffering smoke inhalation.

Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.

 Tan Kiat How thanks SCDF & volunteers

In a Facebook post the following day (6 Sept), Kampong Chai Chee MP Tan Kiat How praised the swift response of SCDF, the East Coast Town Council, and grassroots volunteers, calling it “kampong spirit in action”.

“We had to evacuate almost the whole block. Thanks to the quick action of SCDF firefighters, no one was hurt,” he wrote.

He said volunteers and Town Council staff assisted residents throughout the night, opening the Residents’ Network centre for seniors to rest, providing drinks and snacks, and helping those with mobility issues.

The Town Council also worked to restore electricity and water, clean the common areas, and will repaint the facade. A few badly affected households were given temporary accommodation.

Though overseas on a work trip, Mr Tan said he was in close contact with the ground teams and was “glad to see the strong kampong spirit”.

He also thanked fellow East Coast GRC MP Edwin Tong for visiting the block in his absence, adding that his presence “meant a lot to residents”.

Also read: 4 hospitalised after fire breaks out at Redhill Close HDB, likely electrical in origin