SINGAPORE — As light rain fell over Tampines on the morning of April 11, the family of 10-year-old Freya Ji Yinan gathered to bid her farewell.
Freya, an Australian, died in hospital after a fire broke out in a shophouse in River Valley Road on April 8.
It left 21 others injured.
Freya's family and friends came together on April 11 at Singapore Funeral Parlour in Tampines, where a memorial service was held for her.
There, Freya's portrait was adorned with white chrysanthemums, and dark and light pink roses.
A pink rabbit stuffed toy sat beside a memorial plaque which displayed her name and the brevity of her lifetime: 2014-2025.
At around 10.30am, an elderly woman arrived and, upon seeing Freya's portrait, collapsed on the ground and wailed.
Family members surrounded her as they cried and hugged each other.
A man who identified himself as Freya's uncle said he flew over from China after hearing the news, but declined to speak further.
Also at the wake was a woman who identified herself as Freya's maternal grandma. She said her granddaughter grew up with her, but did not say more.
Six adults aged between 23 and 55 and 16 children aged between six and 10 were among the casualties in the fire.
The Straits Times reported that construction workers helped children off the third-storey ledge during the evacuation from the three-storey shophouse.
The police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to a fire at 278 River Valley Road at about 9.45am that day.
It is the address of Tomato Cooking School, which runs cooking lessons and camps for children.
According to business records by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, the directors of Tomato Cooking School are Ukrainian Yuliia Marishchuk and Singaporean Darius Yer.
The school's address is listed as one of the addresses of Newtonshow, an enrichment centre that provides camps and activities for children.
The school is one of several brands mentioned on Newtonshow's website. These include Maker, which provides robotics and coding camps, and Visualize Art and Design, which organises art camps.
On April 9, SCDF said fire safety breaches, including unauthorised partitions, were found in the shophouse.
SCDF said its preliminary findings showed that the fire most likely started in an area used for storage on the second storey of the building.
Those convicted of fire safety breaches can be fined up to $200,000, jailed for up to two years, or both.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said the building has an attic.
According to URA, the first floor is approved for use as a children's enrichment centre, while the second and third storeys, as well as the attic, are approved for residential use.
SCDF and URA are investigating the incident.
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
