Woman dies after fire breaks out at Ang Mo Kio HDB flat containing 'heaps of items'

SINGAPORE - A fire broke out in a three-room flat on the 11th storey of Block 456 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 on Friday morning (March 5), said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) in a Facebook post.

A police spokesman said a 20-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman were unconscious when taken to the hospital.

He said the woman died from her injuries.

The police do not suspect foul play and investigations into the unnatural death are ongoing.

The SCDF said that at about 6.10am, it was alerted to the fire where the woman was found unconscious in a bedroom of the flat.

She was not breathing and had no pulse. SCDF responders performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on her.

It said the man was rescued from the kitchen toilet.

Both were taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital by the SCDF.

The pair were known by neighbours to be a mother and son.

SCDF said about 30 other people from the affected block were evacuated and its firefighters wearing breathing apparatus sets had to conduct forced entry into the unit.

It said on Facebook: "The fire had engulfed the living room due to the vast accumulation of combustible items within it.

"The firefighters' movement within the unit was severely impeded as they had to carefully manoeuvre over heaps of items to conduct firefighting operations."

The fire was extinguished with one water jet and one compressed air foam backpack, said the SCDF.

When The Straits Times visited the flat at about 10am, the corridor was cordoned off by the police.

Retiree Cheng Mok Yin, 60, whose flat is on the same floor, woke to the smell of smoke.

He said in Mandarin: "When I opened my door, I saw the police and SCDF officers knocking loudly on the door and eventually breaking into the flat."

Mr Cheng said he saw SCDF officers wrapping both victims in white bandages before moving them to the ground floor.

Student Thong Jia Rui, 27, said he heard a commotion and smelled smoke at about 6.30am.

He said he and his neighbours were evacuated by the SCDF.

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