Authorities investigating after 4th fire at Kranji recycling facility

[UPDATE Feb 21, 10.35am] The National Environment Agency (NEA) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will investigate a fire which broke out at a recycling and waste management company in Kranji on Feb 19.

In response to AsiaOne's queries, NEA said that this is the fourth fire incident at the facility located at 11 Kranji Crescent. The first incident occurred in March 2018, and the subsequent incidents in June 2023 and March 2024.

"Whether or not action will be taken will depend on the outcome of the investigation," said the agency.

NEA said it had worked with the Ministry of Manpower and SCDF in 2022 and published an advisory on safe management of waste materials. It will work with the relevant agencies to update the guidelines if there are new findings from this incident.

"NEA will also engage the operators of recycling facilities to further reinforce the message of fire safety and best practices to minimise fire risks," it added.

[UPDATED 7.35pm]

A fire at a recycling and waste management company in Kranji that started this morning (Feb 19) has been "largely extinguished" by 7pm, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) updated.

In an earlier Facebook post, SCDF said that it responded to a fire at 11 Kranji Crescent at about 10.30am.

Upon SCDF's arrival, the fire was well alight and involved waste materials in a warehouse measuring about 50m by 50m. 

At the height of the operation, six water jets, four unmanned firefighting machines and a Combined Platform Ladder were involved.

One person has been taken to hospital for smoke inhalation and burn injuries.

SCDF expects to continue operations overnight.

Earlier, it said that SGSecure mobile app users, M1, StarHub and SingTel mobile subscribers within the vicinity of the fire incident would have received an advisory message urging members of the public to stay away from the area.

"Traffic is building up in the area; SCDF seeks the public's understanding to avoid area and consider taking alternative routes," said the agency.

Checks on business directories show that the location is occupied by Wah & Hua Pte Ltd, a recycling and waste management company. Its principal activity is listed as collection of waste.

On its website, Wah & Hua said that it is a multi-material recycle and waste management company.

Social media users on TikTok have shared videos of the fire. 

In one video, thick smoke and flames can be seen at the area where the recycling and waste management facility is located.

This is not the first time the recycling and waste management company in Kranji has caught fire.

Last year, on March 28, firefighters spent three hours fighting an early morning fire at the same location. 

According to SCDF then, 10 emergency vehicles and 50 personnel were deployed to fight a fire in the company's waste materials processing area spanning about 400 sq m - slightly smaller than a basketball court.

There were no reported injuries then.

In 2018, firefighters also fought another fire that ravaged the company's warehouse. About 70 firefighters and 22 firefighting appliances and support vehicles reportedly battled the fire for nearly eight hours. 

editor@asiaone.com

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