One person found dead following Potong Pasir fire

A person has died following a fire that broke out outside a Potong Pasir HDB flat on Wednesday (Aug 28).

Responding to queries by AsiaOne, a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesperson said they were alerted to the blaze at Block 107 Potong Pasir Ave 1 at around 6.45am on Wednesday morning.

By the time SCDF arrived, members of the public had already put out the fire by using a fire extinguisher. One person was pronounced dead on scene by an SCDF paramedic.

A charred male body was found outside the flat, reported Lianhe Zaobao.

Speaking with the Chinese newspaper, a female resident living above the unit recalled hearing two screams, waking her up at around 6am.

The screams sounded like the person was in severe pain, but there were no cries for "help", she said.

"My room is closer to the corridor, so I could hear it clearly," the resident added. "I thought it was due to a wake on the ground floor of the HDB flat, and that someone was crying out of grief."

She also said that the unit where the fire occurred was home to a woman in her 60s and her nephew, a man in his 30s.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, the SCDF spokesperson said.

Responding to queries by AsiaOne, the police said that a 44-year-old man was found lying motionless outside a residential unit and pronounced dead at scene.

No foul play is suspected based on preliminary investigations.

Investigations are still ongoing.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com