Singapore — Several floor tiles in a young couple’s flat suddenly shattered explosively, with the incident getting caught on camera.
Mr Fauzi Hussin wrote in a much-shared Facebook post that the incident occurred on Jan 22 at 7:34 pm at Tampines Street 45.
“Guys, this can happen to anyone.
My wife, toddler and mum in law encountered this EXPLOSION first hand in the living room when i’m at work.
The explosion happened just next to my toddler and mum in law.”
Mr Fauzi Hussin uploaded a video on his Facebook page on Jan 23, Sunday.
In it, a toddler can be seen sitting sleepily in a stroller.
As the child’s grandmother approaches, several tiles a few meters away suddenly crack and shatter with a rather loud noise.
The grandmother then pulls the toddler away to safety.
A few seconds later, the boy’s mother carries the boy out of the flat, with the grandmother following with the stroller.
Mr Fauzi said that his wife and mother-in-law thought the building was about to collapse and went to the void deck, where they stayed for half an hour before going back to the flat.
“SAFETY IS OUR MAIN PRIORITY !! Our neighbours heard the loud explosion and came to check. We came to know that their unit were not affected,” he added.
The family reached out to the HDB although Mr Fauziconceded that he’s aware that the Board is not liable for any damage to the resale flat as it was bought in the open market and not from HDB.
However, upon obtaining an inspection report from HDB, they can submit a claim under Enhanced Public Housing Contents Insurance (EPHCI), which he explained is an “additional Home Insurance that we bought on yearly basis on top of the HDB Fire Insurance”.
A maintenance officer from HDB carried out an inspection on Jan 24 and “out of goodwill…arranged housekeeping from HDB Tampines Branch to clear and protect the affected area ASAP”.
He also wrote out what this experience has taught them:
1. As long as you move to a resale flat, please get the floors checked by engaging a Qualified Person (Building Surveyor) which will be at our own cost. Please Google.
2. Not all are blessed with dual household income nor have the means to renovate the entire house. Renovate within your limits. So if you have means, go ahead and change your flooring. Not sure on warranty type (please check with your contractor).
3. Please get home insurance or the necessary insurances that will cover accident.
He added that if something like this happens, people should not stay on the floor, but “QUICKLY CLIMB ONTO ANYTHING (sofa, bed, chair, table) AS LONG AS YOU ARE NOT STEPPING ON THE TILES. It’s like MINEFIELD…”
“This is beyond our control. No matter how we maintain, there will be NO ASSURANCE when the tile will explode again.
We are born and bred in HDB.. We are Budak Flat.. 40 years of life, this is our first encounter. Moving forward, I hope our situation can create awareness and help others understand or react to such situation.”
It’s not uncommon for tiles to crack suddenly especially when in cooler months.
In February 2018, Mr Desmond Lee, then Second Minister (National Development), said that the increase in cases where homeowners reported tiles suddenly dislodging or “popping” in HDB flats was “likely due to the unusually cold weather over a prolonged period and temperature fluctuations“.
Such changes in the weather “could have caused the tiles and the substrate to contract and expand at different rates, resulting in the loss of adhesion between the tiles and the substrate”. Almost half the cases reported involve tiles installed by homeowners during their own renovations.
HDB offers goodwill repairs for popped or cracked tiles originally provided by HDB for up to 15 years, but after that period, homeowners have to get the tiles replaced themselves. /TISG
Read also: Tiles from HDB block exterior dislodge and crash five floors down with loud “explosion” sound
Tiles from HDB block exterior dislodge and crash five floors down with loud “explosion” sound