Maid dies of smoke inhalation after elderly man starts fire

SINGAPORE — An elderly man with a history of bipolar disorder set his mattress ablaze after claiming to see bedbugs, and the fire spread, causing a neighbour's domestic helper to die of smoke inhalation.

On Wednesday (Aug 16), Chia Gek Yong, 73, whose mental condition was in relapse at the time of the incident, admitted that he had caused Ms Koimatun Achmad Ali's death by performing a rash act.

The 48-year-old woman was the only one at home at the time as her employers were overseas.

Deputy Public Prosecutor R. Arvindren said that Chia's symptoms included increased energy levels and hallucination.

Following his conviction on Wednesday, the court called for a report to assess his suitability for a mandatory treatment order.

Offenders given such an order have to undergo treatment to address their conditions in lieu of time behind bars.

Chia was in his flat on the 10th storey of Block 39 Telok Blangah Rise when he woke up on his bed in the living room at around 4am on Jan 29, 2022.

Thinking he saw bed bugs, he retrieved multiple cans of insecticide and sprayed his bed.

Chia then used lighters to set his mattress on fire after believing that the bed bugs were still alive.

When the fire spread, he tried but failed to extinguish it with several bottles of water.

After that, he exited the flat, leaving behind its four other occupants who were asleep. Their identities were not disclosed in court documents.

They were jolted awake by the smoke and also left the flat, said the DPP, adding: "The police received multiple calls reporting the fire as (it) spread. One of the four occupants went to a nearby coffee shop to take an extinguisher.

"He went back to the unit to try putting out the fire, but as the fire was starting to engulf the entire 10th floor unit, he was unsuccessful."

Police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers arrived at the scene soon after, and started evacuating the whole block.

The prosecutor told the court that the officers had to carefully evacuate them as many of the residents were senior citizens and lifts cannot be used during a fire evacuation.

There was also only one staircase that could be used for the evacuation.

The SCDF officers noticed Chia's flat contained various hoarded items that contributed to the spread of the fire.

Court documents did not disclose the identity of the person who had collected the items.

There was also a gas leak in the unit where Chia lived, and the officers had to ensure that the gas valve was turned off while fighting the blaze.

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Meanwhile, the police had to ensure that everyone in Chia's flat was accounted for. A police officer shouted Chia's name and he identified himself.

While Chia was being escorted to an assembly area, he admitted that he had started the fire to "kill bed bugs", and was arrested soon after.

As the firefighting efforts continued, smoke from the blaze got thicker and infiltrated a flat on the 11th storey.

The fire was brought under control shortly before 6am and SCDF officers then went to the 11th floor unit, only to find its front door locked.

They forced entry into the unit and found an unconscious Koimatun in a room next to the kitchen.

She had breathing difficulties and was still alive when she was rushed to hospital where she died at around 10.30pm.

Defence lawyer Riko Isaac told the court on Wednesday that Chia is aware of the seriousness of his actions and is remorseful.

He is expected to be sentenced in September.

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