Some 120 Residents Evacuated From Clementi & Yishun HDB Fire, 4 Sent To Hospital
Tuesday (19 May) night was an eventful one for Singapore.
Firstly, the end of the ‘Circuit Breaker’ was confirmed for 1 Jun, bringing slightly saddening news that most restrictions in place today will still continue after that.
Unfortunately, some Clementi and Yishun residents had more devastating problems to deal with, as their homes had caught fire. Many residents had to be evacuated as well.
Clementi blaze involved circuit breaker
A fire broke out at Block 441B Clementi Avenue 3, prompting 40 people to be evacuated, reported Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
According to Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), the fire involved a circuit breaker, and occurred on the 9th floor.
Block 441B in Clementi
Source
SCDF was alerted about the fire at 9.35pm, and the blaze was promptly put out by firefighters.
1 person had to be sent to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, but fortunately, there were no fatalities.
Yishun fire extinguished by off-duty SCDF officer
Meanwhile in Yishun, a unit on the 7th floor of Block 502A Yishun Street 51 was ablaze. Thankfully, the flames had been put out by the time SCDF arrived at the scene.
The resident’s neighbour – off-duty SCDF officer WO Nasiruddin – helped to put out the flames using a fire hose reel.
3 of the affected flat’s residents were taken to Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation, while 80 other residents self-evacuated from their homes.
Yishun fire allegedly caused by battery
SCDF shared on Facebook that preliminary investigations found that the cause of the fire was a Power-Assisted Bicycle (PAB) battery that was left to charge.
The furniture and contents of the living room were badly burnt in the fire, as seen from pictures shared in SCDF’s Facebook post.
No fatalities in both fires
The occurrence of 2 fires in a night in Clementi and Yishun was unfortunate. But it’s great that there were no fatalities from either one of the tragedies.
SCDF shared this infographic reminding Singaporeans on fire safety habits for PABs and personal mobility devices (PMDs) too.
Do observe the advice in the infographic to safeguard yourself against fires.
We sincerely thank SCDF and the off-duty officer for responding to both fires quickly, and hope those who were taken to the hospital make speedy recoveries.
We have contacted SCDF for a statement regarding the Clementi fire.
Featured image adapted from Facebook.Â
