30 residents evacuated as fire rips through Hougang flat
A late-night fire, believed to be caused by a personal mobility device (PMD), ripped through a second-storey flat in Hougang, sending a family of three scrambling for their lives.
Residents at Block 313 Hougang Avenue 5 were jolted awake just before 1am on Aug 16 by the commotion of fire engines and the sight of smoke billowing from a unit.
One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, shared that he rushed down from his seventh-storey unit after hearing frantic cries of: "Fire! Fire!"
He reached downstairs to a chaotic scene, witnessing a man lying injured on the ground.
“I saw the uncle lying on the ground. He couldn't move because one of his ankle was injured,” the resident said, adding that the man had apparently jumped from the second-storey kitchen window to escape the blaze.
Despite his injuries, the man's primary concern was for his family still trapped inside. He cried out: "There are still people in the house!"
According to accounts from residents, the fire trapped a family of three inside the flat. In a daring escape, the father jumped out the kitchen window while the mother lowered their son from the same window to be caught by her husband below.
Fortunately, Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers arrived in time to rescue the mother from the burning unit. One resident shared that the mother had also considered jumping but was instructed to wait for rescue by SCDF officers who had arrived on the scene.
The SCDF confirmed in a Facebook post that they found the living room of the unit engulfed in flames, with one person trapped inside.
Firefighters forced their way in through the main door and rescued an individual trapped in the kitchen. The fire was extinguished with a water jet.
"The fire involved the contents of a living room. The rest of the unit sustained heat and smoke damage," SCDF reported.
A total of four people were assessed by paramedics, with two taken to Singapore General Hospital, one to Changi General Hospital, and one declining further medical attention.
As a safety precaution, the police evacuated 30 residents from neighbouring units.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the fire originated from a PMD in the living room. Investigations into the exact cause of the fire are ongoing.
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