Fire spread to 3 houses allegedly due to fire hydrant malfunction, S’poreans react “Not maintained…whose fault?”

SINGAPORE — Singaporeans are debating over who should be held accountable in response to news of three houses catching fire due to a fire hydrant malfunction. While some have pointed the finger at the fire authorities, others have called out the MP of the area where the fire occurred. Some also criticised the man taking the video for merely capturing the moment and “complaining” instead of helping.

A netizen shared a video of a fire in 12Q East Coast Road. The video was shared with an online group on Tuesday (Jan 10). “20 minutes after the fire began, SCDF still struggling to connect hose to fire hydrant,” the video text read. “Fire has spread to three houses.” The man taking the video also said, “This is frankly embarrassing…wasted more than thirty minutes trying to connect the water hose.”

While some netizens criticised the videographer for complaining instead of helping out, others saw an underlying issue. “They should check their equipment everyday…they should be asked to refund money,” said one. “How long ago was the fire hydrant checked?” asked another.

On the other hand, others defended the SCDF, arguing that there are way too many fire hydrants around Singapore for each one to be checked every day. “How big is Singapore? Do you even know one fire station has to take care of how big of an area?” asked a Singaporean. “They are already lacking people…How are they gonna check the whole area of fire hydrants? Do you know how many hydrants are there in Singapore?”

Still, others found a different figure to hold accountable, calling on the MP of the area.

“MP, step down. Don’t go around taking photos and attending events or ceremonies only…this is partially your fault,” said one.