Fire in Bugis Cube allegedly caused by smoking, but KTV lounge denies it
A fire that broke out at a karaoke lounge in Bugis Cube was reportedly caused by smoking.
Though it was put out by the mall’s sprinkler system, some of the shops had to close for the day when they became flooded.
Source: Google Maps
No reported injuries from Bugis Cube fire
In response to queries from MS News, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to a fire at about 2am on Thursday (3 April) morning.
It involved a room in a unit on the sixth floor of 470 North Bridge Road — the address of Bugis Cube.
The blaze was extinguished by the sprinkler system before SCDF arrived.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
No injuries were reported, with the cause of the fire still under investigation, SCDF added.
Fire believed to have been started by somebody smoking
The fire broke out at a KTV lounge on the sixth floor of the mall, reported Shin Min Daily News.
40-year-old Mr Chen Junhan (transliterated from Mandarin), the owner of a hair salon and beauty salon on the second floor, told the paper that he was told about the fire at 7am that day.
He heard that it was started by somebody who was smoking at the KTV lounge.
Salon on 2nd floor flooded, had to close for the day
Despite his shop being on the second floor, Mr Chen said it was flooded.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
This puzzled him as the fire had taken place on the sixth floor.
The dampness was possibly caused by leakage, which caused marks to form on his ceiling.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Mr Chen and his staff cleaned the shop from morning till evening and couldn’t open for business at all, he added.
While the lights in his hair salon could be turned on, an electrician said that two sockets were broken and some decorations and the lights behind the mirrors were not working.
In his beauty salon, a power trip occurred when the lights were switched on due to the water leakage in the ceiling.
The electrician said he could repair it only after the circuits were dry.
Other shops also affected
40-year-old Ms Cai (transliterated from Mandarin), who owns another hair salon on the second floor, said she found her shop flooded when she arrived at 10am on Thursday.
Her wallpaper and vinyl flooring were also soaked and had begun to peel off, and her curtains were wet and smelly. Additionally, an electronic sign was damaged after getting wet.
She spent an hour cleaning the place, with some customers forced to cancel their appointments, affecting about 20% of her business, she added.
An employee of a nail and beauty salon said they had to spend the whole morning cleaning up before they could open for business.
Some of their products had their packaging doused with water due to leaks, so they could not be sold to customers.
Other shops on the fifth, fourth and second floors of the building were also affected, said Mr Chen.
Fire may have been caused by equipment failure: KTV lounge
However, HaveFun Karaoke, which occupies the sixth floor of Bugis Cube, denied that the fire was caused by smoking.
Source: Google Maps
A spokesperson for the KTV lounge said the room where the fire occurred was occupied by two young female customers earlier that day.
But at the time of the fire, it had not been occupied for a long time, the spokesperson added.
Instead, the blaze may have been caused by equipment failure, according to preliminary observations by the SCDF, claimed the spokesperson.
The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, and the business is currently waiting for a response from the relevant authorities.
Also read: 2 sent to hospital after fire breaks out at Lucky Plaza, 20 others self-evacuated
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.
