150 evacuated after rubbish bin in Sim Lim Square catches fire

SINGAPORE - More than a hundred people were evacuated from Sim Lim Square on Monday (June 17) after the contents of a rubbish bin on the fifth floor caught fire and set off the building's sprinkler system.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) responded to the incident at 12pm, a spokesman said.

"About 150 people were evacuated from the premises by the in-house Company Emergency Response Team (CERT) prior to SCDF's arrival," the spokesman said.

The fire was extinguished using a hose reel and there were no reported injuries, the SCDF spokesman said.

The SCDF is investigating the cause of the fire.

Undertaker Loh Yan Long, 33, was walking by the building during his lunch hour when the incident occurred.

"I observed more than a hundred tenants and shoppers exiting the building. There was no visible smoke anywhere outside, as the fire had occurred inside. The SCDF was also present by the time I was returning from my lunch," Mr Loh said.

Videos shared with The Straits Times showed smoke in the corridors of Sim Lim Square.

A video sent to citizen journalism website Stomp also showed heavy smoke in the corridors inside the building before cutting to a large crowd waiting outside Sim Lim Square.

ST has contacted Sim Lim Square management for more information.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.