Sembawang flat fire forces 150 people to be evacuated and 1 hospitalised

SINGAPORE – About 150 people were evacuated and one person was taken to hospital after a flat in Sembawang caught fire on Friday afternoon.

In response to queries, a spokesman for the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to a fire at a fourth-storey Housing Board flat at Block 409 Sembawang Drive at about 1.45pm.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze using a water jet and a compressed air foam backpack, SCDF added.

A bedroom in the unit had the most damage.

One person managed to get out of the flat before SCDF officers arrived.

One person was taken to the Singapore General Hospital and treated for smoke inhalation, SCDF said. Another person who was feeling giddy was examined by an SCDF paramedic but refused to be taken to hospital.

SCDF is investigating the cause of the fire.

Shin Min Daily News reported on Saturday that a family of four and a maid lived in the flat that was gutted by the fire. The maid was the only one home when the incident occurred.

She was cooking when she smelled smoke and found that it was coming from the master bedroom, the Chinese-language daily wrote. As the bedroom door was locked, she did not stay to find out what had happened, and rushed out of the flat to alert the neighbours to the fire.

Shin Min added that the maid was seen wearing an oxygen mask after the incident and was later taken to hospital by SCDF officers.

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