Tampines coffee shop gutted by fire; workers escape while vents explode above them

SINGAPORE - Fire engulfed an entire coffee shop in Tampines on Saturday afternoon (Aug 7), gutting it in mere minutes.

The fire is believed to have started at a fish soup stall at the coffee shop located at Block 823A Tampines Street 81.

Mr Tan Yong Seng, 50, who works at Wang's Roasted, a chicken rice stall at the coffee shop, said the fire began at about 2pm.

"The worker at the fish soup stall ran out immediately, and I tried to put out the fire with another colleague using water," he told The Straits Times in Mandarin.

"But as soon as the water touched the fire, it immediately went higher, engulfing the entire shop."

@sgpokegodandy

##singapore ##tampines ##st81 ##823 ##on fire ##fyp ##fypp ##fypシ ##fypdongggggggg ##ndp2021 ##sgtiktok ##fire ##emergency ##firefighting ##ffdc ##fireman ##firerescue

♬ original sound - SG’s PokeGOD ?

Mr Tan said the fire then spread upwards into the vents hanging above and across the entire coffee shop, which has about 15 stalls.

"I immediately shouted for everyone to run, and as we made our escape, the vents above us exploded multiple times," he said.

"The entire coffee shop was in flames within a minute. This is the first time I have come across such a fire."

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) is currently at the scene.

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