Neighbours say Toa Payoh flat where fire occurred was cluttered inside and outside
A fire that broke out in a flat in Toa Payoh has resulted in the deaths of two people.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post that it was alerted to the blaze at 7.30pm on Tuesday (22 July) night.
Source: @josephjonah2303 on TikTok
Fire in living room of Toa Payoh flat put out by SCDF
SCDF was deployed to Block 173 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh, where the living room of a second-floor unit was on fire.
Videos posted on TikTok showed firefighters in front of the unit, which had large flames visible through the living room window.
Source: @josephjonah2303 on TikTok
Another video on Facebook revealed thick black smoke coming from the flat’s window on the other side, with burning ashes having fallen to the ground.
Source: Rina Kelley on Facebook
Multiple fire engines and police officers were seen at the foot of the block.
Source: Rina Kelley on Facebook
SCDF said its firefighters entered the smoke-filled unit and put out the fire with a water jet.
Source: @josephjonah2303 on TikTok
2 people pronounced dead at the scene
However, firefighters found two people inside the unit, who were unresponsive.
They were immediately carried out, but both were pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic.
A photo circulated over TikTok showed a police blue tent in the void deck of the block.
Source: @limkimleng on TikTok
Three other people, who are from neighbouring units, were assessed for smoke inhalation as a result of the fire.
They were conveyed to Singapore General Hospital.
Man & woman lived in affected Toa Payoh flat
A next-door neighbour told Shin Min Daily News that a man and woman lived in the affected flat.
66-year-old retiree Wu Tianjiao (transliterated from Mandarin) said the pair were in their 50s and believed to be related to one another.
They had moved in more than one year ago together with the man’s elderly mother, he added.
Residents collected rubbish in their flat, causing ‘unbearable’ smell
They were fond of collecting rubbish from outside and storing it inside and outside their flat, causing an “unbearable” smell, Mr Wu said.
He had to hold his breath every time he walked past the flat, he added.
He also claimed that the neighbours were all aware of this problem and that the authorities had persuaded them to clear the clutter on multiple occasions.
A photo of the corridor outside the flat, taken at the end of last year. Source: Shin Min Daily News
Another resident, 65-year-old retiree Song Shiwen (transliterated from Mandarin), told the paper that they also occasionally threw scraps of food downstairs.
They persisted in doing so despite repeated reports made and visits from the National Environment Agency, he said.
A female resident who declined to be named said the problem of their clutter had been going on for some time, but did not expect it to lead to their deaths.
Man & woman often heard quarrelling
The woman said her sister, who lives on the same floor as the affected flat, had often heard the pair quarrelling.
The elderly woman who used to live in the flat had been sent to a nursing home, she added.
The resident’s mother, who lives on the fifth floor, was one of those who was sent to the hospital as she had difficulty breathing.
SCDF is investigating the cause of the fire.
Also read: 3 dead after fire engulfs Hougang unit, apartment allegedly belonged to ‘known hoarder’
3 dead after fire engulfs Hougang unit, apartment allegedly belonged to ‘known hoarder’
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Featured image adapted from @josephjonah2303 on TikTok and TikTok, and Rina Kelley on Facebook.
