About 1,000 people evacuated after fire at National University of Singapore lab
The research assistant was working on his report in a laboratory at the National University of Singapore (NUS) yesterday afternoon when the fire alarm went off.
The 26-year-old, who wanted to be known as Matthew, was among about 1,000 people evacuated after a fire broke out at the WIL@NUS Corporate Laboratory in Block MD6.
According to the NUS website, the block is part of the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and houses the Centre for Translational Medicine and the Medical Library.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire at about 11.10 am and that the fire involved a freezer room.
It was extinguished by the sprinkler system before SCDF arrived at the scene.
There were no injuries.
Those evacuated were asked to assemble at a nearby sports field.
Matthew told The New Paper: "There was a headcount and once our fire safety officers gave us the green light, some of us went for lunch, others waited at nearby cafes for further instructions."
He said they were allowed back into the building more than an hour later .
The NUS spokesman said: "The safety of students and staff remains our top priority.
"The cause of the fire is under investigation."
The WIL@NUS Corporate Laboratory, launched in June last year, was jointly set up by agribusiness group Wilmar International Limited, the National Research Foundation Singapore and NUS.
The laboratory is a research facility that works on innovation in food-technology and sustainable biochemicals.
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