On Thursday (19 Sept), a fire erupted in an industrial building at 25 Kaki Bukit Road 4.
According to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), firefighters had responded to the blaze at around 12.55pm.
They found that the fire had engulfed a unit on the fifth floor, filling the entire level with thick smoke.
Source: Singapore Civil Defence Force on Facebook
During the firefighting operation, two unconscious individuals were discovered inside a unit opposite the one that was ablaze.
Both were transported to Changi General Hospital but unfortunately succumbed to their injuries.
Lianhe Zaobao reported that the two victims were 51-year-old Malaysian Luo Jiaqiang and a 65-year-old Singaporean named Vincent.
He Shuxiang, the 63-year-old owner of a furniture company, shared that they were all scheduled to meet for a lunch appointment at 12.30pm on the day of the incident.
However, Mr He was delayed due to a last-minute issue, so Mr Luo and Mr Vincent went to rest in different rooms on the company’s mezzanine floor while waiting for him.
When the fire broke out, two employees working below shouted to warn the pair before evacuating the smoke-filled building.
Unfortunately, neither Mr Luo nor Mr Vincent heard them and could not escape in time.
The employees attempted to return to rescue them, but the smoke was so thick that it was impossible to enter. They then called the two men.
Mr Vincent reportedly said on the phone: “It’s choking; I can’t breathe.”
Meanwhile, Mr Luo made a suffocating sound, and the call abruptly ended after a minute.
When the employees could no longer reach them, they notified the arriving firefighters before fleeing downstairs themselves.
Source: Lianhe Zaobao
Expressing guilt over his friends’ deaths, Mr He wondered if the tragedy could have been avoided had he not been 20 minutes late to their meeting.
“If I had been on time for lunch, would they have been in the building when the fire broke out?” he pondered.
Mr He explained that both Mr Luo and Mr Vincent were carpentry foremen, and the three had been discussing a furniture project collaboration.
On Friday (20 Sept), Mr Luo’s younger brother went to the mortuary to claim his body.
Speaking to 8world News, he shared that he received the devastating news of his brother’s death around 3pm or 4pm the day before and rushed to Singapore from Johor Bahru.
Source: 8world News
Mr Luo had fallen out with his family about 20 years ago, leading him to move to Singapore for work and lose contact with them. They had just reconciled six months ago.
Since mending their relationship, Mr Luo had returned to Malaysia weekly to spend time with his family. His last visit was on Sunday (15 Sept).
While their mother has been informed of his death, Mr Luo’s brother has not yet told their father, as he is in poor health.
Mr Luo’s funeral is set to be held in Malaysia, with burial planned for this Sunday (22 Sept).
Also read: SCDF responds to 3 fires on 10 Sept in Tampines, Bukit Merah & Loyang, 8 sent to hospital
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Featured image adapted from Singapore Civil Defence Force on Facebook and 8world News.
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