Man in hospital after trying to put out fire in neighbour's flat
A man who valiantly tried to put out a fire in a neighbour's flat by throwing buckets of water at it was taken to hospital on Wednesday.
The fire in the third-storey flat in Block 30 Balam Road in MacPherson broke out at about 9pm. Neighbours said the man was seen splashing buckets of water at the blaze to try and put it out.
The New Paper understands he is a neighbour who lives next door to the flat that caught fire.
A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesman told TNP yesterday that a man was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for burn injuries and smoke inhalation.
A second man, who evacuated the flat before firefighters arrived, suffered minor burn injuries, the spokesman added.
He declined to be taken to hospital.
Chinese-language newspaper Shin Min Daily News reported yesterday that he is believed to be a tenant in the flat.
An SCDF spokesman said the fire, which involved the contents of a living room, was extinguished by members of the public using buckets of water before the SCDF arrived.
Ms Anaqi Abdullah, 31, who lives in the unit opposite the affected flat, told TNP she saw the fire spread in the living room.
She immediately called 995.
Said the security officer: "I heard a man shouting 'Uncle! Uncle!' and even though he was throwing buckets of water at the fire, it spread very quickly."
SCREAMING IN PAIN
Another neighbour who lives on the same storey said she saw the man later screaming in pain when he was attended to by SCDF paramedics.
The housewife, who wanted to be known only as Madam Rita, 44, said: "He is a kind person and would always greet the neighbours cheerfully.
"During Chinese New Year this year, he gave my family some snacks. It was shocking to see him in so much pain."
The cause of fire is still under investigation.
On the same day, around noon, another fire broke out in a second-storey unit at Block 314 Yishun Ring Road.
The fire, which involved the contents of a bedroom, was extinguished by the SCDF using a water jet and a compressed air foam backpack.
There were no reported injuries and investigations are ongoing, an SCDF spokesman said.
A burnt personal mobility device was spotted in the corridor outside the affected unit.
A 56-year-old resident told Shin Min that a group of tenants lived in the flat.
He added that the most of the residents of the block were elderly.
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