Waterwoods condo residents praised for fighting fire from balcony

Who says kampung spirit is dead?

While most of us might hightail it at the sight of a fire, several residents in Punggol are gaining attention online for valiantly attempting to subdue a blaze in their neighbour's apartment.

The fire, which engulfed a two-storey unit at Waterwoods condominium on Saturday (Dec 19) morning, was eventually extinguished with a water jet, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) confirmed in a statement on Facebook.

But before the SCDF arrived on the scene, a group of residents had leapt into action, helping to hose down the affected unit, as well as the one above it, from two nearby balconies.

Footage of the incident showed three residents gathered on each balcony, aiming jets of water at the blaze, as well as at an occupant who briefly appeared at one of the windows.

Speaking to property news website 99.co, one of the Good Samaritans, identified only as Koh, said he had been alerted to the situation when his wife heard an "unusual cracking sound".

"Then, our neighbours from the opposite block [started] shouting across at us and pointing towards our direction. I took a quick glance and saw that the unit diagonally above had caught fire," said Koh, who stays on the 14th floor.

After shouting for his neighbours to call the SCDF, he raced up to the affected unit on the16th floor to check on the occupants, he said.

However, there was no response.

Koh, who said he had undergone training in emergency fire response, then went up to the 17th floor to use the fire hose reel situated in the common area.

Dragging the hose reel onto the balcony of the unit on the 17th floor, Koh, accompanied by several other neighbours, began spraying water at the fire.

He reportedly handed the hose reel over to SCDF officers once they arrived on the scene.

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As clips and images of the incident made its rounds on the internet, many lauded Koh and his neighbours' efforts at fighting the blaze.

However, some netizens remained doubtful if their actions were of any help. Not all fires can be put out with water, they also pointed out.

According to the SCDF, a total of six occupants were rescued from the unit. Five of them were conveyed to Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation, while the remaining occupant refused to be taken to the hospital.

About 100 residents from the affected block were also evacuated by security officers, SCDF noted.

SCDF is currently investigating the cause of the fire.

House on fire? Here's what to do

According to the SCDF's emergency handbook, if you discover a fire has broken out, you should remain calm, alert others, evacuate the building in an orderly manner and dial 995.

You should only attempt to fight the fire if it is not likely to endanger yourself or others.

To put out a fire, you can:

• Use water
• Use a fire extinguisher
• Use a hose reel

However, if the fire is caused by flammable liquids such as oil, do not use water as it can worsen the blaze. 

kimberlylim@asiaione.com