15 people, including infant, injured after yacht catches fire in Singapore

SINGAPORE: Fifteen people, including an infant, were sent to the hospital after a yacht caught fire at One Degree 15 Marina Club in Sentosa Cove here on Thursday.

 

Photos and videos of the fire, taken by passers-by, show the yacht engulfed in flames while berthed at the club.

 

One witness, Shazan Ifham, saw black smoke while he was working on board another yacht nearby at around 4.30pm.

 

"At first, I saw white smoke and didn't take it seriously. But after about two minutes, I saw black smoke and realised it was a fire. That's when I started to react," said the former firefighter, 27, who now works as a chief skipper at a yacht charter company.

 

He called the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), and in about five minutes, responders arrived at the scene.

 

When contacted by The Straits Times, an SCDF spokesman said they were alerted to a fire involving a yacht berthed at a fuel dock.

 

Members of the in-house emergency response team tackled the fire with three hosereels, added the spokesman.

 

After SCDF officers arrived, two water jets were used to extinguish the fire.

 

Three people, including an infant, were sent to Singapore General Hospital for burn injuries, while 12 others were sent to SGH and National University Hospital for smoke inhalation.

 

It is understood that some of those sent to hospital for smoke inhalation were members of the in-house emergency response team. Some people were on board the yacht when it caught fire. 

 

The cause of fire is under investigation, said SCDF. - The Straits Times/Asia News Network