'I didn't know it was so bad': Neighbours rally to help after fire broke out in Holland Close

They live in the same block and on the same floor but barely knew one another - until a fire broke out in one of the Housing Board flats on June 19.

It was around 7.20pm, and most of them were having dinner when black smoke started billowing from a unit on the 23rd floor of Block 5 Holland Close.

Mr Nakul K., 32, who had moved in only six months ago with his wife, said his next-door neighbour was the first to sound the alarm.

Stepping into the corridor, Mr Nakul saw black smoke pouring out of a unit located diagonally across the lift lobby. It is one of the four units on the level.

Together with the two home owners of the affected unit and three other neighbours, he searched for a fire extinguisher but was unable to find one.

The group waited outside Mr Nakul's flat for about 15 minutes, anxiously watching the smoke and waiting for firefighters from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) to arrive.

From where they stood, they could not gauge the full extent of the fire.

"It was just smoke. So I thought probably some small equipment was burning," said Mr Nakul. "I didn't know the entire flat was affected."

When the firefighters arrived at around 7.25pm, the residents helped to connect the hose to the block's water supply.

HDB blocks are equipped with wet or dry rising mains and landing valves to supply water for firefighting.

The neighbours were evacuated a few minutes later. It was only when they joined around 100 other residents gathered at a nearby futsal court that they realised how intense the fire was.

"I didn't know it was so bad until I went downstairs and saw the fire coming out of the balcony," said Mr Nakul.

The flames were visible only from the opposite block.

Police officers had to cordon off the area below the block as broken glass rained down.

One of the owners of the affected unit told Mr Nakul that the fire may have started in her bedroom.

The unit suffered some damage, with debris strewn on the floor and thick soot covering the ceiling.

Even after the fire was put out, the neighbours were not done.

On June 20, the morning after the blaze, the residents on the 23rd floor - armed with sponges and buckets of soapy water - began scrubbing soot off front doors and gates.

A resident who lives on the same floor as Mr Nakul said another neighbour also joined a professional clean-up crew, which power-washed the common corridor and ceilings.

Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing, who is MP for the area, was at the futsal court on the night of the fire to reassure residents that they would receive support if needed.

SCDF said the two people who were evacuated from the affected unit were assessed for smoke inhalation and taken to Singapore General Hospital.

Two firefighters, who experienced heat exhaustion while fighting the flames, were also taken to hospital.

They have since been discharged and were given five and four days of medical leave.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.