Whampoa fire: Family of 3 who lives in same flat were holidaying in JB during fatal blaze

When a fire broke out at a three-room Whampoa flat in the wee hours of Monday (May 6), it claimed the life of 60-year-old hawker Cai Wanyuan (transliteration), while his wife and mother were rescued by firefighters.

But three other family members also live in the sixth-floor flat at Blk 76 Lorong Limau — Cai's second son, his wife and their four-year-old daughter. 

Speaking to Lianhe Zaobao at the mortuary on Tuesday, Cai's youngest son, Cai Jincheng (transliteration), 29, said the family of three were holidaying in Johor Bahru when the fire broke out.

He added that the family is searching for answers regarding how the fire started and why his father was trapped in the bedroom. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) is investigating the cause of the fire. 

Another relative, who declined to be named, told Zaobao that Cai, who was asleep, was purportedly the first person to discover the fire in the living room.

He then woke his wife and told her to check on his mother, who was sleeping in the utility room in the kitchen.

The trio could not escape from the house. The women were later found in the utility room and evacuated from the burning flat, said SCDF, and taken to the hospital.

They were discharged after a day and will temporarily stay with his aunt, Cai Jincheng said.

When AsiaOne visited the wake on Wednesday afternoon, the family said they were still grieving and declined to be interviewed.

The Cais are a family of hawkers. The deceased, who had three sons, had been running Hi Leskmi Nasi Lemak with his wife at the nearby Whampoa Makan Place for 40 years.

His younger brother Cai Wancai (transliteration), also owns a roast meat stall at the same hawker centre, and their mother sells braised duck there.

Hi Leskmi Nasi Lemak has a few other branches in Punggol, East Coast and Tampines, which are managed by Cai Jincheng and his second brother.

According to a review published on popular food blog Sethlui.com, the latest branch in Tampines opened in March.

ALSO READ: Man who died in Whampoa fire ran nasi lemak stall at nearby food centre for 40 years

lim.kewei@asiaone.com