Funeral fire or public hazard? Sengkang blaze riles netizens

A large fire, apparently part of funeral rituals, was spotted by the roadside in Sengkang on the night of July 29, riling netizens and sparking debate about public safety concerns.

At around 9pm on 29 July, Redditor Kelpypeppy shared an image on subreddit r/singapore of a fire, contained within a cage, along the road in Sengkang. The flames were said to have reached a height of about four metres.

"How could such a huge fire, just next to a pedestrian walkway and road, close to a bus stop, be allowed?

"As you can see, the winds were scattering the ashes over 100m."

Netizens said the location appeared to be near a bus stop around Block 326 at Sengkang East Way. The blaze reached the height of a nearby overhead bridge, with surrounding trees dangerously close to the flames.

Pedestrians and cyclists were also seen near the fire, while a nearby bus stop raised further concerns about public safety and exposure to heat and smoke.

Garnering over 500 upvotes and 150 comments, the Reddit post quickly gained traction as netizens weighed in on the safety and legality of the situation.

Was fire part of a funeral ritual?

Some commentors speculated that the fire was part of a temporary set-up for a traditional Chinese funeral, with large-scale paper offerings typically burnt on the last night.

ConversationSouth946 said: "Chinese here, born in a Singaporean Buddhist/ Taoist family. As far as I know, the cage in the picture can be rented for a funeral. I've seen it a few times."

Another user, KopiOForLife, observed that those standing near the fire were dressed in typical funeral attire: "You can spot the family members on the left side of the photo in white shirts and black pants."

Other netizens took into account the apparently grieving family and the cultural significance of the ritual.

Redditor Pigjedi said: "It's someone's funeral. Can we just live and let live?"

Given the space constraints in the area, Difficult_Bicycle534 noted: "With some of the new estates they don't really have space. Funerals often happen in multi-purpose halls and there's not much open space around it."

Netizens 'flame' dangerous location of fire

Other netizens were more critical of the "selfish" and "irresponsible" move, asserting that public safety took precedence over tradition. "It's so close to the main road and drop-off area. The smouldering ashes could easily burn anyone walking by that area. Really not considerate. Is it permitted?" said Redditor objectivenneutral.

Others reflected on the broader social dilemma. "It's one of those thorny things that toes a fine line between respect and tolerance for culture/religion and desire for civic mindedness," said MaverickO7.

"In isolation, there's of course nothing good that comes from burning offerings; it's harmful to passers-by and leaves pollutive waste. I've always thought it's ridiculous that people are not required to at least clean up the ashes and leftover offerings."

Xanthon added: "Those people are just blindly calling for religious traditions to be kept, regardless of what we have learnt about safety and other issues in modern times.

"I'm not asking for this to be banned. Just asking for this specific cage to be moved to somewhere safer."

'Why aren't there designated spaces for burning?'

The Sengkang blaze does not appear to be an isolated incident. Multiple netizens reported witnessing burners placed in dangerous or high-traffic locations.

Netizen gentlemanjackdota asked: "Why can't we have facilities for any burnings in our districts? The current areas, from my own experience, are atrociously too close for comfort."

SnooJokes915 echoed the concern: "I remember once I had to pass through a gate from my estate to the other side where the shops were a few blocks away.

"There were two giant burners on either side of the slope with people burning paper in them. I had to pass through the heat and smoke twice."

Town council regulations

According to the Town Council Act, it is prohibited to place items in spaces that might endanger the lives of others, or cause damage to any common property or the property of another person.

If the fire was indeed part of a funeral ritual, it is unclear if the family or the funeral parlour involved had gotten approval from the town council, or applied for a wake permit prior to the set-up.

The Sengkang Town Council had not responded to TNP's queries by press time.