On the morning of 19 Jan, a fire broke out in an HDB flat in Hougang, devastating the contents of the house.
However, insurance was only able to cover a small percentage of the damages, leaving the sole breadwinner of the house no choice but to pay for the rest of the restoration out of her own pocket.
She is now publicly appealing for donations to help with the renovations, on top of her monthly paycheck and a bank loan she took after the blaze.
25-year-old hospital case manager Tan Ying Jie Joelle told MS News that the fire broke out at her family home at Block 951 Hougang Avenue 9 at around 9am on 19 Jan.
Source: Google Maps
The only occupants in the unit at the time were her helper, grandmother, and her dog.
Images Ms Tan provided showed that the blaze consumed the service balcony, the kitchen, and a bathroom.
Image courtesy of Tan Ying Jie Joelle
Burn marks were also visible in the living room.
Image courtesy of Tan Ying Jie Joelle
Ms Tan shared that her family is currently staying at separate locations following the fire.
Her mother, brother, helper, and her dog are living at her brother’s friend’s house, while she is staying at a friend’s place.
Ms Tan’s grandmother is staying at the hospital while awaiting transfer to a transitional care facility.
According to Ms Tan, her family was only able to claim around S$3,000 to S$4,000 for the water and electricity pipes from their insurance.
This means that besides the pipes, the 25-year-old will have to fork out the rest of the money for the repair works as the sole breadwinner of the household.
Image courtesy of Tan Ying Jie Joelle
As her monthly take-home pay of S$2,700 is not enough, she took out a bank loan to cover some of the exorbitant costs.
Ms Tan is also publicly appealing for donations and hopes to be able to raise an additional S$10,000 to S$15,000 for the house renovations.
Image courtesy of Tan Ying Jie Joelle
If you would like to make a donation, you can reach Ms Tan via Instagram (@whyjaaay). You may also drop her a WhatsApp message at +65 9695 8956.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image courtesy of Tan Ying Jie Joelle.
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