An electrical riser in an HDB block along Jalan Kayu caught fire, resulting in two people being sent to the hospital.
The incident took place last Saturday (15 March) morning, reported Shin Min Daily News, which shared an eyewitness photo of flames leaping from the riser.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
36-year-old resident Alex, who lives next to the electrical riser on the seventh floor, told Shin Min he woke up at 7.20am that morning due to a power outage.
His fan had stopped working, and when he left his flat to check, he saw the electrical riser in flames.
Smoke was also billowing out and attracting the attention of residents opposite.
His neighbour’s wife, who was carrying a bucket of water, was thinking of putting out the fire but he stopped her as it was too dangerous.
Alex tried to get a cloth to put out the fire, but when he realised it had gotten bigger, he quickly evacuated and went downstairs with his mother.
Shin Min reporters who visited the block the next day found the electrical riser in a charred state.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Besides the riser, the floor, ceiling, lift and lights in the corridor were also blackened and damaged.
Source: Lianhe Zaobao
The exteriors of two units near the riser were also blackened, together with part of the eighth-floor corridor.
At the time, three staff members arrived to inspect and repair the electric meter box and replace the wires.
Three workers were also inspecting the damage and trying to repair the riser.
In response to queries from MS News, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire at about 7.30am on 15 March.
It took place at Block 447A Jalan Kayu and involved contents inside an electrical riser along the common corridor on the seventh floor.
Source: Google Maps
The fire was extinguished using a hosereel and a dry powder fire extinguisher, with about 10 people evacuated as a precautionary measure.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Additionally, two people were assessed by an SCDF paramedic for smoke inhalation
They were subsequently conveyed to Singapore General Hospital.
Alex told Shin Min that the pair were a middle-aged couple who were his neighbours.
Another seventh-floor resident, named only as 74-year-old Mr Lin (transliterated from Chinese), said the uncle who was sent to the hospital had leg issues and had also undergone heart surgery.
Source: Lianhe Zaobao
Nobody answered the door when reporters visited the flat of the couple who were hospitalised.
The fire also caused a power outage to some units for about 14 hours.
Alex said the power to his flat was restored only at 9pm that night, which was “inconvenient”.
The food in his fridge spoiled as a result, he added.
This was the first time such an incident had happened in his more than ten years of living there, he also said.
Mr Lin, who had lived in the block for 12 years, also said it was the first time this had happened.
A spokesperson for Ang Mo Kio Town Council said repair works had begun at the common corridor, including rewiring and repainting.
The town council took the opportunity to remind residents to ensure there is no debris inside the electrical riser, the spokesperson added.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and Lianhe Zaobao.
He was both a user and an operative in the syndicate linked to Singapore’s largest…
The woman was devastated to see her stroke-stricken husband go hungry as she struggled to…
The drain, which was reportedly occupied by a middle-aged homeless man, has since been cleared…
Malaysia's Minister of National Unity penned a post on X, condemning the uncle's actions.
The woman worries he may be preying on young women in the area.
Not even Hollywood thought of this plot twist.