Fire engulfs waste management facility in Tuas
A massive fire broke out in Tuas at 6am yesterday.
The fire, which was about the size of a football field, engulfed an area dealing with industrial waste management, including recycled oil and solvents, was extinguished after six hours.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force said they were alerted to a fire at No. 48 Tuas Crescent, where Unifine Star Petrochemical is located.
The fire was seen rapidly spreading along nearby drains.
There were also multiple explosions from metal drums storing flammable industrial liquids.
To combat this, foam was used to cover the surfaces of flammable liquids.
A total of 34 emergency vehicles and about 130 firefighters were deployed, and at the height of the operation, ten jets and three Unmanned Firefighting Machines were used to mitigate the fire.
An unmanned aerial vehicle was also utilised to assist the firefighters in identifying areas where the fire was most intense.
There were no reported injuries as there was no one in the building at the time.
SCDF said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
In a statement, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said officers were immediately deployed to investigate the incident and measure the air quality in the vicinity.
"Air quality levels measured in the vicinity of the site and Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) readings from the VOC monitoring station in Tuas remain within safe limits," said NEA, and added that it will continue to closely monitor the situation.
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