Singapore – A woman died in a fire in an Ang Mo Kio HDB flat on Friday (March 5) which was followed by the authorities’ urging people not to accumulate combustible items at home.
Firefighters reportedly had difficulty fighting the blaze because of the vast pile of combustible items inside the flat.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to a fire at Block 456 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 on Friday (March 5) at about 6.10 am.
SCDF firefighters wearing breathing apparatus sets had to force their way into the flat located on the 11th floor.
According to the SCDF Facebook post, the fire had engulfed the living room due to the vast accumulation of combustible items within it.
“Firefighters’ movement within the unit was severely impeded as they had to carefully manoeuvre over the heaps of items to conduct firefighting operations.”
The fire was eventually extinguished with one water jet and one compressed air foam backpack, the post added.
Firefighters rescued a man trapped in the kitchen toilet while a woman found unconscious in a bedroom was brought out to safety. SCDF noted its responders performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the woman as she had no pulse and was not breathing.
Both the man and the woman were taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. About 30 people from the affected block also self-evacuated before the SCDF arrived.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. The SCDF noted that excessive accumulation of combustible items within a unit could block escape paths and hinder firefighting efforts.
“Residents are urged not to accumulate combustible items such as newspapers, furniture, and clothes within their units as these can fuel a fire causing serious damage and may even be life-threatening.”
In a mothership.sg report, the police confirmed that the woman subsequently died from her injuries. The police do not suspect foul play and are investigating the unnatural death./TISG
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