Altar in Woodlands flat engulfed in flames in fire believed to have been caused by oil lamp

The living room of a flat at 428 Woodlands Street 41 was covered in soot after an altar caught fire just before 1pm on April 22.

One of the two tenants sharing the flat with a family of three was the only one at home at the time of the incident.

Ms Wang, 20, said that she was at school at the time and her mother was out working. Her father, who had a stroke, was at a daycare centre.

She told Shin Min Daily News that the CCTV footage showed the fire had already started when the female tenant walked past the altar.

But the woman did not notice the fire, which was still small, when she returned to her bedroom.

"She went back to her room to sleep and later heard a sound of something falling," said Ms Wang.

"When she opened her bedroom door to check, the altar was on fire and she immediately fled."

It is believed that the fire started from the oil lamp sitting on the altar.

Mr Lim, a 50-year-old neighbour, said he detected a burning smell and stepped out of his flat to check.

He saw a neighbour using buckets of water to put out the fire.

Only the living room was affected, its walls and ceiling were covered in soot.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force said the altar had caught fire. One person had minor injuries and refused to be taken to hospital.