‘Sounds like firecrackers’ — Couple flees in terror as 70 kitchen tiles explode

SINGAPORE: Lunar New Year is celebrated with firecrackers, but unfortunately, for a couple, booming and crackling sounds did not come from such firecrackers but from the bursting of their floor tiles.

On the second day of the new year, approximately 70 kitchen tiles of an HDB flat located in Jurong West suddenly exploded. The couple who own the flat were just boiling water when they heard the unusual sound like firecrackers and were shocked when they discovered what had happened.

“We were startled and immediately dropped what we were doing and fled the kitchen.” 

According to the husband, they initially thought that the sound was coming from their ceiling, but when they looked up, they saw nothing unusual. Later on, the tiles under their feet started to crack from the edge of their cabinet and extended outwards to their doorway. 

When Shin Min Daily News visited the unit, it was found that the floor was in a mess and that the cement underneath the tiles was exposed. To avoid any more accidents, the husband decided to remove the cracked tiles and immediately contacted the area contractor, who then advised that someone would inspect the incident. 

Second owner of the unit

The husband then revealed that the HDB flat was built in 1992 and that he was the second owner. He bought the unit with the original tiles from the previous owner and has not replaced them in almost 30 years. He also mentioned that what may have caused the burst was the recent continuous rain and low temperatures and admitted that he has not yet heard of any similar incidents from his neighbours on the same floor. 

“In the new year, we’ll just have to spend money to avoid further trouble,” the couple said. 

Other similar news

In similar news regarding sudden explosions in HDB units, there was a recent report where a woman complained that the tempered glass of her induction cooking shattered while she was in the middle of cooking, and it led to glass shards flying everywhere. 

With this event, the homeowner was shaken and admitted that she was so frightened that she could not even sleep at night. 

Read more about the news story here.