SINGAPORE: A 33-year-old man died in the early hours of Thursday (March 19) after a fire broke out in a Housing Board flat in Choa Chu Kang.
In a Facebook post on the same day, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire at about 3am at Block 763 Choa Chu Kang North 5.
The fire was in a bedroom of a 14th-floor flat. SCDF extinguished the blaze with two water jets.
During the firefighting operation, the man was found lying motionless inside the flat and was later pronounced dead at the scene by an SCDF paramedic, the police and SCDF said.
A 61-year-old woman who had left the flat before the firefighters’ arrival was assessed for smoke inhalation and taken to Singapore General Hospital, the authorities added.
Two others from the affected block were also assessed for smoke inhalation but declined to be taken to hospital.
As a precautionary measure, about 70 people were evacuated by the police and SCDF.
When The Straits Times arrived at the scene at about 8.30am, police cars, a fire engine and a crime scene investigation vehicle were present.
A large black soot stain could be seen outside the window of the four-room flat.
Rohi, who lives next to the burnt unit, told ST that the 61-year-old woman had banged on her door to alert her family to the fire.
The 30-year-old tax consultant was asleep at home with her helper and brother, who tried to convince the woman to also evacuate and go to the void deck.
“But she didn’t want to go, because her son was in the house,” said Rohi, adding that she did not recall seeing the woman’s daughter at home at the time of the fire.
Rohi, who does not know the woman’s name, addressed her as “auntie”. She added that since moving in, the woman had been “hospitable” to her – with both of them giving each other food during festive periods.
Rohi learnt about the son’s death only later.
A resident on the 13th floor, Sophia Lee, said her family found out about the fire after police officers knocked on their door and advised them to evacuate. Her 27-year-old son had also heard heavy footsteps and people shouting from above earlier.
Lee, 61, said that she, her husband and her son left their home immediately, thinking the fire was on the 15th floor.
She found out later that the fire was on the 14th floor, adding that she knew the family, who moved in a few years ago.
She said the family comprised a mother, son and daughter.
Said Lee: “Like other residents living here, they would greet others and engage in small talk at the lift lobby. They’re a polite Chinese family.”
A resident on the 15th floor said that he was unable to tell where exactly the fire was, but knew it was nearby.
Ong Yu Xian, 27, said: “I could hear shouting and the sound of glass exploding. When I opened our door, I was greeted by thick smoke from below. I knew the fire was near. Our family left our home before the police gave the order to evacuate.”
A resident who lives directly above the affected unit and wanted to be known only as Lam, 63, was “thankful” her 93-year-old mother was hospitalised and therefore not at home when the fire started.
Lam, who had remained outdoors since the fire, returned to her flat only at around 10am. Upon returning, she noticed that the tiles in her home were still “very hot”, and was worried that they might crack – especially after some renovations were done only in January.
Retiree Jaiasree Pillai, who was at home with her helper at the time of the fire, heard shouts at about 3am and felt scared.
The 69-year-old, who lives on the 12th floor, said: “I was anxious because we could hear shouting somewhere from above my unit. I knew it was a fire because we could see the smoke and the blinkers from the police and SCDF (vehicles) below.”
She added that she also heard the sound of things falling in the flat above.
Another resident, Soo Kam Lan, said she learnt about the fire only when her son returned home from his night-shift job at about 3am and told her about it.
Soo, who lives on the 12th floor, said: “We were all safe. By about 4am, the fire had been extinguished. From my corridor, I could see many people downstairs. If my son hadn’t told me about the fire, I would have slept through the chaos.”
Both Jaiasree and Soo said they did not know the residents from the affected 14th-floor flat.
The latest figures released by SCDF in February show that the number of residential fires rose 8.6 per cent, from 968 cases in 2024 to 1,051 cases in 2025.
Unattended cooking and electrical faults were the two leading causes of home fires.
Police investigations are ongoing. The cause of the fire is under investigation. - The Straits Times/ANN
