60 residents evacuated from Tampines block after flat catches fire
About 60 residents were evacuated and one taken to hospital after a flat in a Tampines Housing Board block caught fire on Monday morning.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post on Monday that it was alerted to a fire at a second-storey HDB flat at Block 147 Tampines Avenue 5 at 8.10am.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze, which involved the contents of a bedroom, using a water jet and two compressed air foam backpacks.
One person was taken to Singapore General Hospital with smoke inhalation.
Preliminary investigation showed that the fire was of electrical origin, involving a portable air-conditioning unit that was inside the affected bedroom, SCDF said.
SCDF said that before it arrived, several members of the public had attempted to fight the fire using a hose reel.
“SCDF will be reaching out to commend them for their swift action in responding to the emergency,” it added.
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