Fire breaks out at Tampines HDB block, firefighter among 2 taken to hospital

30 residents evacuated as precaution after early morning blaze at Tampines HDB block

An early morning fire broke out at a Housing & Development Board (HDB) block in Tampines on Wednesday (20 May).

A resident and a firefighter were conveyed to hospital after the incident, while 30 residents evacuated from the block as a precautionary measure.

MP visits scene of fire

In an Instagram post, Tampines Member of Parliament (MP) Charlene Chen said she was alerted to the fire at Block 366 Tampines Street 34 at around 5am to 6am.

Pictures posted by Ms Chen showed several police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) vehicles at the foot of the block.

The fire appeared to have originated from a unit on the 10th floor.

Ms Chen said she was relieved that there were no major casualties, and thanked SPF and SCDF for attending to the incident swiftly.

Affected family receiving assistance

Ms Chen added that the family living in the affected flat was receiving assistance from various organisations.

Tampines Town Council, HDB, Tampines East Community Club, and grassroots volunteers from Tampines East Zone 8 Residents’ Network were helping the affected family.

“They got together very quickly to provide support on site,” Ms Chen said.

Fire involved living room and kitchen

In response to MS News’ queries, SCDF said it was alerted to a fire at Block 366 Tampines Street 34 at around 5.35am.

The fire involved the living room and kitchen of a 10th-floor unit, and was extinguished by SCDF using two water jets.

Two occupants evacuated from the affected unit before SCDF’s arrival, while about 30 other residents evacuated as a precautionary measure.

A neighbour from a nearby unit was conveyed to Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation.

Meanwhile, an SCDF firefighter experienced discomfort in his right leg after the incident and was conveyed to Changi General Hospital.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

SCDF shares fire safety reminders

SCDF noted that the top three causes of fires in residential premises are unattended cooking, electrical faults, and unattended lighted materials.

Residents are advised not to leave cooking unattended, avoid overloading power sockets, and refrain from charging devices overnight without supervision.

The agency also reminded the public to ensure that lighted materials such as cigarettes and incense are fully extinguished before disposal.

Also read: SCDF firefighter sent to hospital after fire engulfs Tampines condo unit, 100 people evacuated

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Featured image adapted from @charlenechen_sg on Instagram.