'They deserve an award': Pre-school teachers hailed for carrying children to safety amid Punggol fire

When an explosion occurred at an HDB flat, teachers at a My First Skool branch in the same block quickly acted to ensure the children's safety, even carrying some kids away from that block, said a parent of one of the kids. 

Hafizah Ali, 35, whose two-year-old son is in that pre-school, told AsiaOne that she received a call from his teacher at about 1.25pm on Wednesday (March 12) to inform her about a fire in the same block.

The children had been evacuated to a Residents' Corner in the next building, and Hafizah's son was crying, the teacher said.

"I hurried over and saw about five fire engines, ambulances and [a] police car already there," said the home-based business owner. 

Although her son had stopped crying by the time she reached him, he burst into tears once again upon seeing her, said Hafizah.

"He hasn't started talking so I may not know exactly how he felt, but as his mom I know [when] he needs comfort," she explained.

20 evacuated

Hafizah said the pre-school's principal told her that the fire occurred in a unit on one of the high floors. The incident occurred during nap time and the children had to be urgently woken up.

"Teachers had to carry some [kids] including my son to evacuate, barefooted," Hafizah added.

Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP Yeo Wan Ling addressed the fire in a Facebook post, assuring residents that nobody was hurt and that the Oasis Residents' Committee, town council and HDB were assisting those affected.

She also thanked the Home Team and grassroots volunteers for their quick response as well as neighbours who opened their homes to affected families.

"If you or your family were affected and need any assistance, please reach out to me. We are here to help," wrote Yeo.

Hafizah also told AsiaOne that when she was previously affected by a fire in her HDB block, which is about a ten-minute walk from the school, Yeo distributed care packages to the affected residents personally back then.

She added that she had commented on Yeo's post to express gratitude to the teachers and caregivers in the school as she hoped the MP would also acknowledge their actions.

"A massive thank you to all the teachers and caregivers who were there keeping our children safe. They deserve an award or something," she told us.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told AsiaOne that the incident occurred in a unit on the 10th floor of Block 173A Punggol Field at about 1.05pm on Wednesday.

The fire, which involved contents of a bedroom, was extinguished using a water jet.

About 20 people were evacuated by the police as a precautionary measure and there were no reported injuries.

Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing, SCDF added.

Responding to AsiaOne's queries, My First Skool general manager Thian Ai Ling said that eight teachers and staff had evacuated 32 children after being alerted to the fire.

All parents were notified of the matter and assured of their children's safety by 1.30pm. 12 of the kids were picked up from the Residents' Corner office immediately after, she added.

Thian said that the authorities declared the preschool premises safe at 2.20pm and the remaining 20 students were brought back to resume class activities.

"The classrooms were unaffected…and teachers ventilated [them] to clear the smell of smoke," she said.

The teachers also conducted a sharing with the students regarding the fire to help them understand and learn from the incident.

The school principal also informed the Early Childhood Development Authority about the situation.

Thian explained that My First Skool preschools conduct regular fire drills to prepare for emergencies and familiarise children with safety procedures. Teachers are also first-aid trained.

"My First Skool remains grateful for the dedication of our teachers, whose quick thinking and care kept every child safe, and for the understanding of caring and supportive families during this time," she said.

bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com

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