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SINGAPORE - A strong burning smell was reported over several parts of eastern Singapore on Friday morning (Feb 8), including Tampines, Bedok and Pasir Ris.
Mr Jon Lee, 45, who lives in Tampines, likened the smell to the haze or offerings being burnt during the Chinese seventh month.
"I was taking my son to school on the way to work at around 6am, and there was a strong burning smell. At 7am, when I dropped my son off in the East Coast area, it was still there," said Mr Lee, who works in sales.
He told The Straits Times that there was no burning smell when he reached his workplace in the west. He added that his colleague who lives in Bedok also described a similar burning smell.
A reader, who wished to be known only as Ms Tan, said she noticed the smell when she reached the void deck of her Tampines home after 7am.
"The smell was pretty strong, and when I got to the bus stop I could see that it was a bit hazy. Things looked blurry from a distance," said the 24-year-old trainee teacher.
Another reader who did not wish to be named also said she noticed a strong burning smell. She said the smell was similar to the haze.
"I smelled it once I woke up around 7.30am and stepped out of my room. I went to the balcony to see if someone was burning something, but I didn't really see anything," said the 23-year-old, who works in public relations.
Netizens posting on online forum Reddit said that Simei, Pasir Ris, Bedok, Tampines and Marine Parade were among the areas affected, from as early as 3am for some.
Facebook user Han Han, in a post at about 7.25am, said it smelled like "burnt leaves".
When ST reached the Tampines area at about 8.30am, a strong burning smell was in the air.
Some pedestrians were spotted donning face masks at Tampines Central Park.
The air around the park was visibly hazy, with buildings in the distance appearing unclear and obscured.
At about 10am, the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) value listed on the National Environment Agency's (NEA's) website was 63, which is in the "moderate" range of 51 to 100.
The figure for the east at 10am was higher than for other regions, which were 26 for the west, 35 in the north, 46 for the central region and 53 in the south.
The one-hour PM2.5 reading at 10am was 62 for eastern Singapore, which is within the "elevated" range of 56 to 150. PM2.5 is the dominant pollutant during haze episodes, according to the NEA.
The NEA's data showed that PM2.5 readings for the east have been increasing steadily, from 48 at 2am to 60 at 9am.
The other PM2.5 readings at 10am were seven for the west, 14 in north, 13 for the central region and 10 in the south.
As of 9am, the Singapore Civil Defence Force said it had not received any reports of incidents that may have caused the smell.
ST has contacted the NEA for more information.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...-several-parts-of-eastern-singapore-including
