The aftermath of the fire at Block 510 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8, as seen on Sept 26. - ST/ANN
SINGAPORE: Two teens, both 16, who were arrested for their alleged involvement in a fire in Ang Mo Kio were charged in a district court on Sept 27.
They were each handed one charge of mischief by fire. They cannot be named as those under 18 are protected under the Children and Young Persons Act.
The teens appeared in court via a video link.
Court documents showed that both teens used a lighter to burn a discarded sofa at the seventh-floor lift lobby of Block 510 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 at about 8.20pm on Sept 25.
About 90 residents from the block were evacuated as a precautionary measure, and 11 individuals between 18 months and 85 years old were assessed for smoke inhalation and taken to hospital.
The incident comes weeks after a 58-year-old man was arrested for allegedly causing a fire at an HDB block in Chai Chee Avenue.
The police prosecution asked for three weeks’ adjournment to complete their investigations.
Both teens were allowed to be released on bail and were electronically tagged. Their mothers were in court to bail them out.
They are also required to surrender their travel documents, and report to an investigation officer as and when required.
If convicted of committing mischief by fire, an offender can be jailed for up to seven years and fined.
Their case will be mentioned again on Oct 17. - The Straits Times/ANN
