35 evacuated after fire breaks out in Jalan Bukit Merah flat
Some 35 people were evacuated from Block 117 Jalan Bukit Merah after a fire broke out in a unit on the ninth floor on Tuesday morning (May 17).
A reader alerted Stomp to the incident and shared a video he took from his home a few blocks away.
"I saw a huge fire while I was at my apartment's service balcony at about 11.50am," he said.
"Firemen were already there and I could smell the smoke from here.
"I pray nobody's injured."
In a Facebook post on Tuesday at 3.36pm, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire at 11.35am.
"SCDF firefighters wearing breathing apparatus sets had to conduct forcible entry to gain access into the unit,” SCDF said. "No one was in the unit.”
"The fire, which involved the contents of a bedroom, was extinguished with one water jet.
"About 35 persons were evacuated from neighbouring units as a precautionary measure. There were no reported injuries.
"Preliminary investigation into the cause of the fire indicates that it was due to electrical origin."
The incident is the latest in a string of fires in recent days.
On Sunday (May 15), a fire broke out on the 29th floor of a Housing Board block in Marsiling Heights. Three people were taken to hospital.
One person was taken to hospital after a coffee shop blaze at Serangoon Central Drive on May 14. The fire involved the kitchen exhaust ducting of the eatery, with flames rising several storeys up the side of the building.
On May 13, a fire at a fourth-floor Housing Board flat in Bedok claimed the lives of three people, including a three-year-old. Sixty people were evacuated as a precautionary measure and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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