For HDB flat residents – that means a majority of Singaporeans – having a unit in your block catch fire is a nightmare.
As we live in such close quarters, a fire in a neighbouring flat means we’ll likely have to evacuate for our own safety.
Even if we’re not affected by the fire or smoke, the evacuation itself can prove to be risky, as 1 Tampines resident found.
They were injured while evacuating their block due to a fire, and was sent to hospital.
About 40 residents were evacuated in total due to the blaze.
According to a Facebook post on Saturday (3 Jul), the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to the fire at about 9.40am that day.
It was located at Block 395, Tampines Avenue 7, which is right next to Exit C of Tampines East MRT station.
When the SCDF arrived, they found smoke coming from a unit on the 10th floor.
Officers had to don breathing apparatus and conduct forced entry into the unit.
They managed to put out the fire using 1 water jet.
The fire involved a bedroom of the affected unit, according to the SCDF.
1 occupant ended up having to be rescued through the window, possibly because the fire had blocked their escape route.
That occupant was assessed by a paramedic, but refused to be sent to hospital.
Kudos to the officers for saving somebody in danger. The worst could have happened to the occupant if they hadn’t arrived in time.
As a precaution, residents of 4 floors in the block had to be evacuated.
They lived on levels 9-12, and numbered about 40.
Unfortunately, during the evacuation, 1 of these residents fell down.
They lived on the 11th floor of Block 395.
As a result, the injured resident had to be sent to Sengkang General Hospital.
In a Facebook post on Saturday (3 Jul), Tampines Changkat MP Desmond Choo said the fire was “unfortunate”.
He also thanked the SCDF for being quick to isolate the fire to just 1 room of the unit.
Unfortunately, the family living in the affected unit don’t have fire insurance, he said. They also didn’t have a fire extinguisher.
Thus, the authorities will need to help them with some living needs and repair costs.
While the latest fire in Tampines doesn’t seem to be as bad as the one that occurred in an Yishun block earlier this week, it’s still a blow for the affected family.
Hopefully, they’ll be able to get back on their feet soon, with the help of the community.
MS News wishes the injured resident a quick recovery.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured images adapted from Facebook and Singapore Incidents’ Facebook page.
Those who break the rules on group size can be fined S$150 each.
A netizen also questioned the need to body shame mothers, who sacrificed their waistlines to…
The young cast will go through familiar stressful childhood experiences like collecting exam results.
Fans took to the concert promoter’s comment section to voice their displeasure.
The most expensive resale flat in April was a S$1.438 million 5-room flat in Toa…
Maybe there's hope yet for the iconic newsstand.