SINGAPORE – Two people were rescued from a 13th-storey HDB flat after a fire broke out in the unit in Jurong West in the early hours of June 17.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the blaze at Block 842 Jurong West Street 81 at about 3.35am that day.
A family of four from the affected unit – including the two who were rescued – were taken to Singapore General Hospital, while about 40 other residents were evacuated as a precautionary measure, SCDF added.
“Upon arrival, the living room of a unit on the 13th floor was on fire. SCDF firefighters entered the smoke-logged unit to fight the fire,” the agency said, adding that the blaze was extinguished with a water jet.
Preliminary investigations suggest the fire likely started from an electrical origin in the living room.
The blaze likely started from an electrical origin in the living room.
According to Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao, whose reporters visited the site at around 4pm that day, the unit’s walls and ceiling were blackened, and the windows were shattered.
Lianhe Zaobao said the family had been asleep when the fire broke out. The incident was brought to light by an 18-year-old neighbour living in the unit directly above theirs.
The student, who had been awake playing games, said he smelled smoke and saw it drifting from the windows below his unit, prompting him to go downstairs to investigate.
“When I touched the door, it was very hot. So I kept knocking... to notify the neighbours to evacuate. I then ran home to tell my family to leave quickly,” he said. His mother then alerted the police and the SCDF.
The student added that before his family evacuated, a young woman from the affected unit had come to their door to borrow towels, saying she wanted to tend to her father’s wounds.
“Her hair was singed and her face was blackened by soot,” he recalled, adding that he saw a man whose back and arms were bright red, appearing to be burnt.
A 12th-floor neighbour told Lianhe Zaobao that she saw at least five fire engines parked below the block.
To prevent such fires, SCDF has advised the public to avoid overloading electrical outlets and switch off appliances when not in use.
They urged residents to use only appliances and electrical plugs bearing the Safety Mark, a certification issued by Singapore’s Consumer Product Safety Office.
SCDF added that batteries and devices should also not be left to charge unattended overnight or for extended periods.
According to SCDF’s latest annual statistics released in February , the total number of fires rose by 3 per cent from 1,990 in 2024 to 2,050 in 2025. Of these, 1,051 occurred in residential buildings.
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