SINGAPORE: A person has died after a fire broke out in an HDB flat in Clementi late on Friday (July 31).
In a social media post early on Aug 1, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire at Block 309 Clementi Avenue 4 at about 11.10pm on July 31.
When SCDF firefighters arrived at the scene, they saw flames in the living room of an eighth-floor unit. They had to force their way into the unit to extinguish the fire, which involved items in the living room, SCDF added.
The fire was put out with two water jets.
During the firefighting operation, a person was found trapped in the kitchen and was later taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.
Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Sim Ann, the MP for the area, said in a social media post on Aug 1 that the person was found unconscious and died after being sent to hospital.
She added that the person was believed to have been living alone.
Two firefighters were taken to Singapore General Hospital after they had burn injuries during the operation.
SCDF said in an update on social media on Aug 1 that one of the firefighters was discharged from the hospital earlier that day and is currently resting at home.
About 40 residents from the affected block were evacuated by the police and SCDF as a precaution. Sim said on social media that most of the residents who had been evacuated were able to return to their homes by 1.30am on Aug 1.
She also expressed her gratitude to the SCDF, police, residents’ network volunteers, People’s Association and town council staff for their assistance during the incident.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Sim, who is also Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Second Minister for Home Affairs, said in another social media post on Aug 1 that overall damage to other units and common areas was limited, and that repairs to common property have begun.
She added that residents whose homes and personal property were damaged due to the fire would also be provided with assistance.
SCDF said in its annual statistics in February that more people have been injured in fires, with the figure rising from 80 in 2024, to 94 in 2025.
There were seven fire fatalities in 2024, and six in 2025.
The total number of fires increased by 3 per cent – from 1,990 in 2024, to 2,050 in 2025. - The Straits Times/ANN
