Door blocked by rubbish, Hougang resident resorts to climbing in and out of flat through window

Imagine having no way to enter your flat except through the window. 

That's what one neighbour of an Hougang resident has alleged, reported Shin Min Daily News on Saturday (July 1).

The flat, located Block 682 Hougang Avenue 4, was previously reported to have caught fire on July 1 last year.

Shin Min's report then had described how neighbours witnessed an elderly man fleeing the flat with his "wheelchair on fire". He was later warded in hospital for smoke inhalation.

Residents who were interviewed by the Chinese evening daily had also pointed out that the flat belonged to a hoarder who also kept hundreds of cardboard boxes along the stairway.

Fast forward a year later however, it seems not much has changed.

One neighbour shared that while the wheelchair-bound man has not been seen following the fire last year, his younger brother still lives in the flat.

The 62-year-old woman, surnamed Zhang, told Shin Min that the man's family members had come to clean up the place after the fire. But the residents say the hoarding resumed in March this year and was worse than before, with the items spilling out onto the corridor and stacked up against the man's front door.

Reporters who went by the flat observed that it would be impossible for anyone to enter or exit the unit, and saw that a window facing the corridor was open.

Inside the home, the flat was strewn with plastic bags, clothes, newspapers and other items. A supermarket trolley full of cardboard boxes and plastic bags, along with a red plastic chair was also spotted at the staircase landing beside the unit.

Zhang described how with the doorway obstructed, the uncle would usually enter his flat through the window by placing the chair along the corridor and climbing up on it.

"The uncle's home is filled with junk, and there's often a foul smell emitting from the unit. My husband and I have to wear a mask when we step out of our home," said Zhang.

She added: "He's not a karang guni (rag-and-bone man), why does he have to collect so much rubbish?"

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She recalled how she and her husband had got into several altercations with the man since the start of the year where police had to be called in.

"One time the uncle scattered potting soil along the corridor. When we confronted him, he not only hurled insults at us but also threatened us by saying that he will stab my husband," said Zhang.

On another occasion, the uncle was also angered when Zhang removed the red plastic chair which was obstructing the walkway. He then accused Zhang of causing him to fall down and continued with his insults until she called the police.

Zhang stated that the neighbour's behaviour has severely impacted their family's day-to-day activities and her sister had advised them to move out until the issue is resolved.

Another neighbour interviewed by Shin Min shared that many residents on the same floor are worried about the safety hazard that the items pose and that history would repeat itself.

Stated a 76-year-old neighbour, surnamed Tan: "I have limited mobility. If there's a fire, how can I escape quickly?"

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candicecai@asiaone.com