“Don’t assume power never trips in Singapore,” says mrbrown after Hougang power outage
Residents in parts of Hougang were left briefly without electricity on Monday (2 June), after a power outage occurred at about 11.14am.
Singaporean comedian mrbrown was one of those caught in the blackout and took to Facebook that afternoon to share his experience.
The disruption, which SP Group said lasted about 14 minutes, allegedly led to cases of lift entrapments and tripped breakers. Some also suggested that the adjacent town of Sengkang was also affected.
Source: mrbrown on Facebook
“Don’t assume power never trips in Singapore,” he wrote. “My block lost power earlier today, around 11.20am, just as I was about to make my second espresso of the day.”
According to his post, his neighbours were seen checking on one another, with some responding to people stuck in lifts.
“Some were stuck in the lift and were banging the door and pressing the emergency bell. A few of us tried to reassure people stuck inside that help was coming,” he added. “Then, before the lift rescue team came, power was restored.”
Source: mrbrown on Facebook
SP Group says power restored in 14 minutes after outage
SP Group confirmed in a Facebook post on Monday (3 June) afternoon that power supply to “parts of Hougang” was disrupted at about 11.14am. Power was fully restored by 11.28am.
Source: SP Group on Facebook
“Our officers were immediately deployed to the affected areas,” the post read. “Our priority is to restore supply safely and as quickly as possible.”
The utility provider added that those in commercial or industrial buildings may need to reset their internal electrical systems. It also advised HDB residents to check their circuit breakers if issues persisted.
When asked which blocks were affected, SP Group replied in the comments that the disruption was limited to “parts of Hougang” but did not disclose specific addresses.
Source: SP Group on Facebook
Mentions of Sengkang power disruptions surface online
In the comments on SP Group’s post, several netizens reported experiencing outages in Sengkang as well, although these areas were not officially confirmed in the company’s statement.
One user asked, “Can SP Group give more details of this outage? Some Sengkang East areas also encountered similar power failures”. Others asked for help resetting internal breakers.
Source: SP Group on Facebook
“As investigations are still ongoing, we cannot confirm anything in addition to the current statement on our FB,” SP Group said.
Source: Facebook
Mrbrown takes stairs even after power outage
Mrbrown’s post also highlighted spontaneous moments of neighbourliness during the brief disruption. He recalled choosing to take the stairs even after power had returned, citing uncertainty about whether the lifts were safe yet.
“A young lady was going down the stairs as I was climbing up, and we both agreed it was best to use the stairs first,” he said.
The entire episode, he noted, lasted “about 10–15 minutes”.
“We do take a lot for granted here,” he reflected. “Maybe it’s time to get a [Uninterruptible Power Supply] for the computers and the router. Or more importantly, for my coffee machine.”
MS News has reached out to SP Group for comment.
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Featured image adapted from mrbrown on Facebook and Facebook.
