60 residents evacuated from Tampines block after flat catches fire; public attempts to fight blaze

The SCDF said it was alerted to a fire at a second-storey Housing Board flat at Block 147 Tampines Avenue 5 at 8.10am on May 8. -SCDF/FACEBOOK

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): About 60 residents were evacuated and one taken to hospital after a flat in a Tampines Housing Board block caught fire on Monday (May 8) morning.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post on Monday that it was alerted to a fire at a second-storey HDB flat at Block 147 Tampines Avenue 5 at 8.10am.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze, which involved the contents of a bedroom, using a water jet and two compressed air foam backpacks.

One person was taken to Singapore General Hospital with smoke inhalation.

Preliminary investigation showed that the fire was of electrical origin, involving a portable air-conditioning unit that was inside the affected bedroom, SCDF said.

SCDF said that before it arrived, several members of the public had attempted to fight the fire using a hose reel.

“SCDF will be reaching out to commend them for their swift action in responding to the emergency,” it added.