Fire breaks out in Toa Payoh, allegedly involving deity altar

SINGAPORE: A blaze that broke out at a shop at Toa Payoh Industrial Park today (13 Apr) reportedly involved a deity altar in the vicinity, according to the Chinese daily.

The fire broke out on the second floor of a shop in Block 4, Toa Payoh Industrial Park, in the afternoon, and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel received a call for assistance around 1.50 pm. The SCDF arrived at the scene shortly thereafter and extinguished the fire.

According to Channel 8, the fire broke out on the second floor, where a deity statue and a worship area were located.

Photos posted online show at least three SCDF fire rescue vehicles in the area while a group of people converge near a building where smoke can be seen billowing. An elderly man clad just in pants can be seen among the witnesses.

According to shopkeepers in the vicinity, the elderly man is the one who runs the store that caught on fire. Revealing that the elderly man only realized that there was a fire when he heard a shout from a store opposite his, a neighbour told the Chinese daily:

“It’s not easy for the elderly to hear or pay attention to what happened. After hearing the call from the store opposite, he pulled the water hose to put out the fire.”

The elderly man’s efforts were not enough to control the fire, and he was later sent to the hospital for treatment due to smoke inhalation.

The cause of the fire remains unclear. Investigations are ongoing.