SINGAPORE - People were told to vacate the HDB Hub in Toa Payoh, following a fire at one of its basement levels on Wednesday (Oct 2).

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to a fire at No. 530 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh, the address of HDB Hub, at about 12.25pm.

"The fire involved discarded items in a skip bin located at Basement 3 of the premises," SCDF said. It added that the fire was extinguished using a water jet and that the cause of the fire is under investigation.

One person felt unwell and was assessed by an SCDF paramedic at the scene. However, the person declined to be taken to hospital.

When The Straits Times arrived at about 1.45pm, three fire engines, a rescue vehicle and two ambulances were in the area. At least 10 firemen were at the scene.

Ms Nafisah, 43, said a public announcement told people to evacuate the building at about noon.

The admin executive, who works on the fourth floor of the building, said evacuees did not know what had happened and waited to see if they would be allowed to return to their offices.

An HDB Hub employee, who asked to be known only as Ms J, said the fire alarm rang at about 12.45pm and there was an announcement that a fire had occurred in the basement of the building.

"All the lifts stopped operating, so my colleagues and I had to take the stairs down from the 28th floor," the 49-year-old told ST. "It was orderly and everyone was quite calm."

An announcement at about 2.05pm said the building had resumed full operation, but asked people to avoid the loading and unloading bay in Basement 3.

In a Facebook post at 2.17pm, the Housing Board said customers might face longer wait times for appointments due to the disruption caused by the fire, and sought their understanding.

The board said later in the day that all its services resumed by 2.30pm, with fewer than 10 customers affected, as most of those with morning appointments had completed them by noon.

HDB Hub, the Housing Board's headquarters, is located next to Toa Payoh MRT station. It consists of retail spaces with an indoor plaza, and a 33-storey office tower.

• Additional reporting by Andrew Wong and Nadine Chua

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