Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF) officers responding to a fire at an apartment at Block 99 Aljunied Crescent received a shock when they broke into a locked bedroom and discovered a burnt body this afternoon.
The SCDF revealed that it had received a call at 2.17pm regarding a fire at the HDB block’s ninth level. SCDF officers broke into the flat’s locked main door and managed to put out the flames. Noticing a locked bedroom, officers gained forced entry into the bedroom via a corridor window. The window panes had already been shattered during the fire.
It was only after officers put out the blaze with a water jet that they discovered the charred body.
Residents occupying units in the blocks ninth to 12th floors were reportedly evacuated due to the fire. Neighbours recalled hearing a loud explosion sound before the fire erupted – a claim that corroborates the gas cylinders that emergency officers recovered from the burnt bedroom.
The SCDF is investigating the cause of the fire. Police investigations are also ongoing and the police has classified the death as an unnatural death. A police spokesman said:
“The body of a man was found lying motionless at a unit of the said block and was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.”