Six people rescued, about 100 evacuated after fire breaks out in Punggol condo

Singapore — Six people were rescued and about 100 evacuated when fire broke out in a condo in Punggol at about 11.25 am on Saturday (Dec 19).

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) reported in a Facebook post the same day that  the residents were evacuated after a fire “fully engulfed” a bedroom in a two-level unit on the 16th floor at the Waterwoods condominium in Punggol Field Walk.

On arrival at the scene, firefighters wearing breathing apparatus sets had to conduct forced entry into the unit. “The fire was raging and had fully engulfed the bedroom,” said the SCDF. Firefighters from Sengkang Fire Station extinguished the blaze using one water jet.

One person was rescued from the kitchen and two from a bedroom on the upper level of the unit, directly above the bedroom on fire. Three people were rescued from the ledge outside the toilet on the upper level. They were assisted to safety through the toilet window.

The SCDF conveyed five of the occupants to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) because of smoke inhalation. The remaining person refused to be conveyed to the hospital for medical assistance.

“Patients who suffer from smoke inhalation or serious burn injuries but are in stable condition will be conveyed to the Singapore General Hospital’s specialised Burn Centre instead of the nearest hospital,” the SCDF said.

“About 100 residents from the affected block were evacuated by the security officers as a precautionary measure.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

On top of commending the SCDF for a job well done, members of the online community requested an update on the cause of the fire for information on possible risks.

“Important to share with us what is the root cause the caused the fire, so everyone will take note and beware of the dangerous,” wrote Facebook user Steven Lee.

“Can share what caused the fire? So that we can take note and prevent it,” added another Facebook user, Mr Marcus K P Soh. /TISG

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