14 cats trapped in Bukit Panjang HDB fire: SCDF even had to perform CPR to save some of them

When it comes to animal rescue calls, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) is probably more used to saving that solitary cat trapped atop a tree.

On Thursday morning (April 21) however, they had a 'cat call' of a different kind after a fire broke out inside a HDB unit at block 422 Fajar Road, along with some 14 cats trapped inside.

SCDF and Singapore Police Force (SPF) personnel managed to rescue most of the cats and even had to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on some of them.

Unfortunately, one of the cats died.

SCDF told AsiaOne that it was alerted to the fire at 8.30am on April 21 and the fire involved the contents of a service yard in a unit on the second floor of the block.

"SCDF conducted forced entry into the unit and extinguished the fire using three compressed air foam backpacks. SCDF rescued 14 cats that were found unconscious on both floors of the unit.

"The firefighters, some of them cross-trained as emergency medical technicians, provided oxygen and conducted CPR on the cats. 13 of the cats eventually regained consciousness, while one had passed away," said SCDF.

About 20 people were evacuated from neighbouring units as a precautionary measure and the cause of the fire is under investigation, added the agency.

An online plea to help the family involved in the fire was posted by TikTok user Itshambali on the same day.

The nine-second clip received 149,000 views at the time of writing. 

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@itshambali/video/7088998419397659906?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=6944924152827184641[/embed]

“These furbabies were trapped in a fire that broke out in their home this morning,” the post read.

There were pictures of SCDF and SPF personnel on their knees along a HDB corridor, attending to the cats lying on the floor.

In the TikTok video, Itshambali wanted to stress that the TikTok community can pitch in and donate directly to the homeowners to help offset the damage caused by the fire.

In the post, Itshambali added: “Please help to spread the love and support to the family in this difficult time.”

The homeowner’s mobile number was included in the post and one netizen was quick to applaud the efforts.

“My husband there. Aww! Good job guys! Let’s donate for the cats."

Another netizen acknowledged the work put in by SCDF personnel on-site.

“These boys from SCDF are our golden boys. They trained in pain and risk their lives not only for us but for any animals too,” the post read.

In a separate TikTok video posted on the same day, SCDF personnel could be seen ushering young children out of what seems to be a pre-school on the ground floor of the same HDB block.

ALSO READ: Fire breaks out in Beo Crescent HDB unit, no one hurt

amierul@asiaone.com