Fire in Aljunied HDB flat likely caused by lit candle, 13 people evacuated
The cause of the fire was a lit candle left on the prayer altar.
Gawain PekA fire broke out in a sixth-floor unit at Block 3 Aljunied Lane during the early hours of Friday, Aug. 19, resulting in the evacuation of 13 people.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a statement that they were alerted to the fire at 7.05am.
The fire was subsequently extinguished with a water jet by SCDF officers.
SCDF said it evacuated 10 people from nearby units, while three others had self-evacuated prior to the arrival of SCDF officers.
Two individuals were assessed by medics as a precautionary measure, but they did not want to be taken to the hospital, SCDF said.
Lit candle started the blaze
Based on its preliminary investigations, the SCDF assessed that a lit candle in the living room of the burnt unit was the cause of the fire.According to The Straits Times (ST), the resident of the burnt unit was Teo Bong Chee, 75.
She lived alone in the flat.
Teo had lit a candle on the prayer altar after her morning exercises, ST wrote.
According to Teo, the candle was lit for less than 5 minutes.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the flat was filled with hoarded items.
Piles of bags and clothes that filled up to the windows, old electrical appliances, as well as stacks of newspapers were visible in the debris following the fire, ST reported.
Several neighbours had returned to their homes by 11.30am, according to ST.
Speaking to one of them, the neighbour shared that she was woken by neighbours who knocked on her door before being brought downstairs by three firemen, ST wrote.
Member of Parliament for Potong Pasir Sitoh Yih Pin shared with ST that the town council will be providing Teo with some financial assistance in the short term following the fire.
Fourth case of fire so far
This is the fourth case of fire in a HDB unit in the month of August.Previously, a fire in a unit at Block 222 Lorong 8 Toa Payoh resulted in 50 people being evacuated by the police and SCDF, the SCDF said in a Twitter post.
On Aug. 16, a fire in a Jurong East unit left one dead.
Another fire broke out in the same unit again just a day later on Aug. 17.
In its statement, the SCDF reminded the public not to leave lit materials, such as candles, tealights and incense sticks unattended and to extinguish these before leaving home.
