Fire Breaks Out In Hougang Flat, Courier Who Helped Evacuate Residents Sent To Hospital
Not long ago, a courier was hailed as a hero after he helped extinguish a fire in someone’s home.
Now, another courier is being applauded after he assisted in evacuating residents when a flat in Hougang caught fire recently.
He had been making a delivery at the block when he noticed billowing smoke coming from above. The fire, which was of electrical origin, had sparked from the bedroom of a 13th-floor unit.
As a result of his heroic actions, he ended up inhaling smoke. Paramedics from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) had to convey him to the hospital for treatment.
Passer-by who helped evacuate residents from Hougang flat fire sent to hospital
According to a Facebook post by the SCDF, the fire occurred in a bedroom on the 13th floor of Block 308 Hougang Avenue 5.
They received a report about the fire at around 7.30pm on Sunday (25 June).
Firefighters from Sengkang Fire Station entered the smoke-filled unit donning breathing apparatus. They eventually managed to put out the fire with a water jet.
Source: Singapore Civil Defence Force on Facebook
The affected unit sustained heat and soot damage as a result of the blaze, which was of electrical origin.
A person who was in the unit when the fire occurred escaped before the SCDF arrived. The police also evacuated 10 other residents from neighbouring units as a precaution.
An SCDF paramedic assessed a person from the unit for smoke inhalation. However, they declined to go to the hospital.
In addition, a passer-by was also checked for smoke inhalation. He had helped in the evacuation of neighbouring residents during the fire.
The SCDF subsequently conveyed him to Singapore General Hospital (SGH) for treatment.
Member of Parliament (MP) for Hougang SMC, Dennis Tan, left a comment under the post thanking the SCDF and police for their assistance.
He also wished the helpful passer-by a speedy recovery.
Source: Singapore Civil Defence Force on Facebook
About two hours later, the Good Samaritan himself replied to reassure Mr Tan that he is “doing better” and was just discharged from the hospital.
Courier was making delivery when he realised fire had started
Turns out, the brave passer-by is 21-year-old courier Muhammad Indra Roslan.
Speaking to MS News, he said that he was making a parcel delivery on the sixth storey of Block 308 when the fire broke out.
Source: Google Maps
He had heard people from the opposite block shouting about a fire. When he looked up, he realised that there was smoke billowing out of a higher unit.
“I followed my instincts and ran up the stairs to confirm,” said Indra.
Helped elderly neighbours & unit occupant evacuate
When he reached the 13th floor, there were already a few elderly residents along the corridor, curious to find out what happened.
Indra recalled that one of them knocked on the door of the affected unit to alert whoever was inside.
“The first thing that came to my mind was to evacuate everyone from the level,” he shared. “There were a lot of elderly residents and things could go sideways if they were to inhale the smoke.”
After he helped the elderly neighbours to safety, Indra returned to the affected unit. He knocked on the door and shouted for anyone who was still inside.
About 15 minutes later, the unit’s occupant opened the door and managed to escape.
Went back into the smoke-filled unit to check
Indra made sure everyone was safe before going back into the flat to check if he missed anything.
However, he had to come out after a few paces as it was still filled with smoke.
Source: Singapore Civil Defence Force on Facebook
His entry was not in vain, thankfully, as he observed that the blaze was an electrical fire.
Soon, SCDF firefighters arrived and Indra told them what he saw and where the fire was.
The courier also informed the SCDF that the unit’s occupant might have inhaled some smoke and urged paramedics to check on them.
Courier who evacuated residents from Hougang fire says he is glad they are safe
A paramedic also assessed Indra on the spot.
Although he felt fine at first, he started to feel breathless and light-headed right before he was about to leave in his delivery van about half an hour later.
He approached the paramedics again and they conveyed him to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
Indra told MS News that he reached SGH at around 9.45pm. He later requested a discharge at about 1.30am as he had work in the morning.
Although SGH discharged him, Indra’s father convinced him to take a day off from work to rest, to which he agreed.
Looking back, this selfless young man was not thinking about personal benefits when he decided to help the residents. He simply acted on instinct and did what he thought was right.
“Overall from this experience, I wasn’t looking for praise or for people to notice me,” he mused. “I just did what I thought was needed and I’m glad everyone is safe.”
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Featured image adapted from Singapore Civil Defence Force on Facebook.
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