Fire breaks out at Yishun HDB recycling bin, extinguished by father and 3 children

Neighbours & children extinguish fire at Yishun recycling bin on 30 Nov

A recycling bin at an HDB in Yishun caught fire one night, with neighbours working together to extinguish it.

The incident occurred on 30 Nov at around 11.15pm, at Block 505C Yishun Street 51.

Shin Min Daily News interviewed 35-year-old resident Zhang Wenjie (transliterated), who said he had just gotten home when his wife told him that the recycling bin was on fire.

A video on social media showed the contents of the blue bin engulfed in flames.

Source: @sgfollowsall on Instagram

Immediately, Mr Zhang filled a bucket with water and ran downstairs to extinguish the fire.

Three of his sons, aged 13, 11, and nine, also followed along with their own water buckets.

Source: Shin Min Daily News

Mr Zhang worried that the recycling bin contained flammable liquids, which water could not put out.

As a precaution, he scooped some soil from his flower pots into the buckets to deal with that issue.

Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook

Mr Zhang and his three sons took turns going up and down the building to get water and fight the fire.

They eventually extinguished the flames after three such back-and-forth trips.

Residents extinguished fire before SCDF arrival

At least two other neighbours also joined the firefighting efforts.

The video showed them pouring water into the bin that later let out a thick plume of white smoke.

Source: @sgfollowsall on Instagram

Mr Zhang’s nine-year-old son, still in pyjamas, could be seen walking over with another bucket of water.

Source: @sgfollowsall on Instagram

Mr Zhang returned with a filled bucket of his own shortly after. A third neighbour appeared to try to cover the smoking bin but allowed Me Zhang to pour his water in first.

Source: @sgfollowsall on Instagram

Mr Zhang’s 11-year-old son said he fetched the buckets for the adults to use against the fire.

He added that he felt worried the plastic bin would burn too and increase the flame’s size.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told MS News that members of the public extinguished the fire before they arrived using buckets of water.

They stated that there were no reported injuries and they were investigating the cause of the incident.

Netizens also praised everyone involved for their “great kampung spirit”.

Source: Instagram

Also read: Fire breaks out at Woodlands HDB, residents help contain it before SCDF’s arrival

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Featured image adapted from @sgfollowsall on Instagram and Shin Min Daily News.