Man allegedly burns shoe rack outside Telok Blangah flat in lover's tiff with maid

A 28-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly setting fire to a shoe rack outside a Telok Blangah flat.

He is believed to have acted in retaliation after a dispute with a maid working for the family living in the unit.

The incident, which nearly escalated into a major blaze, occurred when the man was allegedly denied entry.

Shin Min Daily News reported that the incident took place around 6pm on May 10, outside a third-storey flat at Block 7 Telok Blangah Crescent.

Neighbours told the Chinese daily that there was a tense atmosphere, especially with the police present at the scene.

Mr Huang, 56, said an elderly woman and her maid reside in the affected unit. He recalled seeing a man knocking loudly and shouting outside the unit near the time of the incident.

"When I got home at 11pm, the fire had already been extinguished, and there were water marks everywhere. There were two shoe racks outside the unit but one was completely burnt. I heard it was due to a dispute involving the maid and her boyfriend," Mr Huang recounted.

The elderly woman, who is a wheelchair user, said that the alleged arsonist was the maid's "friend". She recounted the man's persistent pacing and knocking at her front door, but the maid refused to open the door. Subsequently, the elderly woman noticed smoke seeping in from under the door and alerted her maid.

"My maid tried to douse the flames on the shoe rack with a wet towel and water," she said. The elderly woman was unsure about the cause of the dispute and believed a neighbour had alerted the authorities.

Police confirmed they received a call for assistance and a 28-year-old man was arrested for suspected arson. No injuries were reported.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force stated that the fire involved items in the corridor outside the unit. Police officers used pails of water to extinguish the blaze and evacuated the two occupants before SCDF personnel arrived.