Neighbours help again as Punggol flat catches fire twice in five years
Neighbours in the adjacent unit sprayed water at the blaze.
For the second time in five years, a unit at Waterwoods Executive Condominium in Punggol caught fire, and once again, neighbours rushed to help.
The fire broke out at around 7pm on Aug 6 at a 16th-storey unit in Block 19, according to Shin Min Daily News.
The same flat went up in flames in Dec 2020.
Neighbours step in again
In a video posted on Xiaohongshu, a man was seen standing on his balcony and trying to spray water at the burning unit with a hose.
Back in 2020, the same neighbours from the adjacent unit and a resident on the 17th floor were also seen using hoses from their balconies in an attempt to control the blaze before firefighters arrived.
Despite their efforts, the flames this time were too large, and the water pressure too weak to make a difference.
Four people were rescued by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), and three of them were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation. The fourth person declined to be taken to hospital.
About 100 residents were also evacuated as a safety precaution.
SCDF said the fire, which started in the living room, was extinguished using a water jet. All four people inside the flat were conscious when rescued.
Two were sent to KK Women's and Children's Hospital, while another was taken to Singapore General Hospital. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Second blaze in five years
When Shin Min reporters visited the scene at around 11pm on Aug 6, the fire had already been extinguished. A Red Rhino, a police car and a fire truck were seen at Block 19.
A Shin Min report confirmed that the same unit had previously caught fire on Dec 19, 2020. Back then, SCDF responded to a blaze in one of the bedrooms and rescued six people.
A netizen going by "Food-Powered Runner" (transliterated) on Xiaohongshu posted about the fire on Aug 6, including a video showing thick smoke billowing from the top floor. Commenters quickly recognised the unit as the same one that had caught fire five years earlier and shared old photos for comparison.
She told Shin Min that she lives nearby and noticed the fire after smelling something burning and hearing the alarm go off.
"When I looked out from my balcony, I saw thick smoke and a huge fire coming from the opposite block," she said. "I heard that the two-story penthouse that caught fire was home to a large family."