Indonesian helper who died in Telok Blangah fire was sole breadwinner; $30,000 donations raised

The woman who died in the Telok Blangah blaze last Saturday (Jan 29) is said to be a 48-year-old Indonesian domestic helper who had been working in Singapore for the past three years, Shin Min Daily News reported.

The fire had broken out in a flat on the 10th storey of Block 39 Telok Blangah Rise at 4.40am.

Koimatun Achmad Ali, who went by the name Emma, lived in the flat directly above the unit which was the source of the blaze.

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Emma was believed to have been found lying unconscious in the middle of the flat when officers broke into the unit to evacuate residents. According to a Facebook post by the Singapore Civil Defence Force, rescue personnel conducted cardiopulmonary resuscitation on her before taking her to Singapore General Hospital.

In its report, Shin Min added that Emma's employer and her 10-year-old son were not at home at the time as they were in Indonesia to celebrate the lunar new year.

According to Mothership, a tenant who resided in the unit was also overseas at the time.

A former neighbour and friend of the family, Kevin Ho, 45, was roped in to help the family handle matters following the incident as they are still overseas. 

Ho told the Chinese daily that he lives across the street but used to stay in the affected block. On the morning of the incident, he had received a call about the fire from his parents and immediately rushed over. 

He only realised the gravity of the situation when he saw Emma being stretchered out unconscious by rescue personnel.

Ho was later told by hospital staff that Emma's condition was grave. A video call was then made to her family members in Indonesia to inform them of what had happened. 

Ho, who was part of the group that made the call, said Emma's 17-year-old daughter took the news badly and "it was heartbreaking to watch". Emma died later that evening at around 9pm. Her body was repatriated to Indonesia on Feb 1.

Her employer, a 45-year-old accountant identified as Mimy Chen, described Emma as a kind person and diligent worker, adding that the family had grown to depend on her a lot.

Chen said that Emma, who is divorced, was the sole breadwinner of her family back in Indonesia, supporting her parents as well as her teenage daughter.

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Chen added that Emma had come to Singapore for work, hoping to fund her daughter through to university.

Emma had also indicated that she would wait till Chen's 10-year-old son could take care of himself, before returning to Indonesia.

"She hoped to start a business and build a house with her savings," said Chen, who has told her son of Emma's death, adding that they are still coming to terms with the loss. Chen added that she would have been willing to extend Emma's contract as long as she wanted to work in Singapore.

Following the incident, Ho started a donation campaign on the crowdfunding website Gogetfunding, to assist the family with the funeral expenses, as well as to raise funds for Emma's family.

Ho told Shin Min on Wednesday (Feb 2) that they have hit their target of $30,000 through both the crowdfunding site and offline donations, and expressed his gratitude to members of the public for their generosity.

According to The Straits Times, a 73-year-old man has been arrested for mischief by fire in relation to the blaze. 

candicecai@asiaone.com