Choa Chu Kang fire kills elderly woman in 9th floor unit, she allegedly hoarded clutter

Fire at Choa Chu Kang 9th floor HDB unit kills 1 person, 150 residents evacuated

A fire broke out in Choa Chu Kang Crescent at about 5.25am today (24 Sept).

It occurred on a ninth-floor HDB unit at Block 692A, burning the living room and bedroom.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) responded to the blaze, forcing their way through the door.

They extinguished the fire with a water jet and two compressed air foam backpacks.

Inside the unit, SCDF firefighters found one person in one of the bedrooms. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Victim of the fire allegedly hoarded clutter

Neighbours that Lianhe Zaobao spoke to said the victim was a woman in her sixties.

She allegedly lived with a son with special needs, who was believed to have been out of the house buying breakfast at the time of the fire.

The victim’s neighbours also claimed that she hoarded items and that the inside and outside of her home were usually filled with clutter.

One resident alleged that her relatives and even the Town Council came to clear the clutter on at least two occasions, but the solution only proved temporary.

150 residents evacuated due to fire

150 residents were evacuated for precautionary reasons.

Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC MP Alex Yam also arrived at the scene. He met with the family of the victim and extended both condolences and assistance.

He wrote on Facebook that neighbours had attempted to extinguish the fire when it broke out and alerted others to evacuate.

The fire caused extensive damage to the affected unit but had no major impact on the neighbouring homes.

The SCDF is currently investigating the cause of the fire.

Also read: Unattended 3-year-old allegedly starts fire that destroyed Bukit Merah HDB unit, rescued by 9-year-old brother

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Featured image adapted from Singapore Civil Defence Force on Facebook.