'Their house was smoking': Man puts out fire in neighbour's flat after they left the stove on

A middle-aged man had retired early for the night last Thursday (April 8) when his children awoke him sometime after 8pm saying there was smoke coming out of their neighbour's house.

"They said their house was smoking, so I rushed out to take a look," he told Lianhe Wanbao. 

Seeing white smoke wafting out of the Tampines flat's kitchen, and that the family that stayed there was nowhere to be found, he took matters into his own hands. 

The 54-year-old climbed in through their window — which was left open — and ran into the kitchen to switch the gas stove off, preventing a fire from breaking out.

In response to AsiaOne's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said the fire involved a pan in the kitchen, though the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

According to neighbours, the couple that lives in that unit were often careless.

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Speaking with the Chinese evening daily, a 50-year-old neighbour revealed this wasn't the first time the couple had left the hob on. A fire almost broke out between April and May in 2020 after they forgot the stove was on.

The lady of the house admitted to her and her partner's mistake saying they had indeed forgotten all about the stove. As the pair had three children — the oldest barely 5-years-old — she called it a terrible mistake and expressed her utmost gratitude and sincere apologies towards her neighbour for lending a helping hand.

He said: "As long as no one was hurt. Just don't forget again."

According to the SCDF, the most common causes for kitchen fires are overheating oil in a pan, putting raw food with water into a heated pan of oil, or leaving cooking unattended.

In case of a kitchen fire, the SCDF advises remaining calm and assessing the situation. Should the fire be too large to handle, call 995 immediately. Otherwise, cover the burning appliance with a lid or a large damp towel completely. Under no circumstances should one attempt to extinguish the fire by pouring water, or using a water-based fire extinguisher.

rainercheung@asiaone.com