On Tuesday (14 Jan), a family of five narrowly escaped a devastating fire that started in the kitchen of their Punggol HDB flat.
The blaze severely damaged their home, leaving them without a place to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
On Wednesday (16 Jan), Shin Min Daily News spoke with 42-year-old Ms Li, who had been cooking at the time of the incident, to learn more about what happened.
According to Ms Li, she had poured water onto the stove in a panicked attempt to douse the flames.
Unfortunately, this only made the situation worse, causing the fire to intensify.
The fire broke out at around 11pm on the 13th floor of a four-room unit at 229A Sumang Lane.
Ms Li, who enjoys cooking and typically prepares food to share with her neighbours, friends, and volunteers during festive seasons, was making seaweed crackers that night.
As she heated the oil on the stove, the flames unexpectedly flared up uncontrollably.
Source: Kzenon on Canva, for illustration purposes only
In her panic, Ms Li attempted to douse the fire with water, thinking it would extinguish the flames.
However, water on a grease fire can cause burning oil to splash, spreading the flames instead.
As a result, her actions only made the fire worse, and thick smoke quickly filled the flat.
Concerned for her husband and children, Ms Li rushed to wake them and urged them to evacuate immediately.
She then remained in the kitchen, continuing her efforts to extinguish the flames.
However, the fire worsened, and she sustained burns in the process.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) confirmed that two individuals, including Ms Li, were taken to Singapore General Hospital for treatment.
Ms Li suffered burns to her right hand and right cheek, which required bandaging. She has since been discharged.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
In her interview with Shin Min Daily News, Ms Li tearfully recalled being overwhelmed with fear during the ordeal, constantly crying and worrying about her children’s safety.
Although doctors had advised her to remain in the hospital, Ms Li chose to leave as she was concerned for her family.
“It’s heart-breaking that the house we’ve only lived in for just over two years was destroyed, but I’m just relieved that everyone is safe,” she said.
Following the incident, Ms Li’s husband and their three children spent the night at the Residents’ Committee office while Ms Li received treatment in the hospital.
Mr Yan, 40, shared that the fire had destroyed all of the children’s school supplies, which had been purchased with scholarship funds.
He also mentioned that he had recently started a new job but was unable to attend work due to the accident.
Punggol West MP Sun Xueling confirmed that the Housing & Development Board (HDB) has arranged a nearby rental unit for the family, waiving rent for the first two months.
In a Facebook post, Ms Sun added that the town council had provided over S$600 to support the children’s schooling needs.
Source: Sun Xueling on Facebook
On Thursday (16 Jan), she shared that additional efforts were underway to collect more items to help the family rebuild their lives, from furniture and school uniforms to food and electrical appliances.
“Together, we can help the family recover from this crisis,” she wrote.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and Shin Min Daily News.
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