TNP reader calls hotline after witnessing blaze

Last Monday, he was forced to evacuate when a fire threatened to consume the industrial building he was working in.

"The first thing on my mind was to call the firefighters," said Mr Alvin Lim, 52, a sales manager who called the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) at about 5.30pm.

"I called The New Paper and then went around asking if anyone was still inside the building."

He ended up leaving his office 40 minutes earlier than his usual 6pm.

The fire started on the first storey of a four-storey building at Block 3019, Ubi Road 1, at about 5.20pm and it took about 60 SCDF officers three hours to put out the blaze.

Mr Lim said his office was on the second storey, a distance from the fire.

He left the building by taking the stairs.

"I also provided the police with the contact number of the building management as the switch room, which controls the power supply of the entire building, was locked," he said.

There were two casualties.

A woman was taken to Changi General Hospital (CGH) for smoke inhalation and a firefighter was taken to CGH for heat exhaustion.

Mr Lim has been a TNP reader of more than 20 years and he buys the paper every morning.

For sharing his story, Mr Lim will receive a $100 Kentucky Fried Chicken voucher.

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