Huge fire at Tuas waste management plant extinguished after 4 hours
A huge fire broke out at Tuas Circuit in the early hours of Thursday morning (Feb 23).
This was at the premises of Eco Special Waste Management. The firm is licensed by the National Environment Agency as a Toxic Industrial Waste Collector, a General Waste Collector, and an Asbestos Removal Contractor.
It is not known how the fire started.
Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post: "The fire was extinguished after 4 hours of intensive firefighting. Damping down operations is now in progress."
Damping down is when burnt surfaces are doused with water to prevent any potential rekindle of fire.
One firefighter sustained heat exhaustion and was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.
When the fire broke out, plumes of thick black smoke could be seen from miles away.
Mr Bashar Khairul, 27, who works at nearby Yong Nam Holdings, was cycling to work at 6.30am when he saw the smoke. Upon seeing the flames and the scale of the fire, he told The New Paper: "I was very, very scared."
Mr Khairul admitted that he was still shaken when TNP interviewed him at 8.30am.
In a Facebook post, Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that when firefighters reached the 200 m by 200m site, the area was "fully engulfed in flames".
Initially, SCDF sent 3 water monitors and 2 Unmanned Firefighting Machines.
A further Facebook post confirmed that it had deployed 9 fire engines, 5 Red Rhinos, 4 Unmanned Firefighting Machines, 1 ambulance, 15 support vehicle and about 200 SCDF responders.
The later Facebook post added: "Periodic explosions could be heard as firefighters battle the blaze to contain it within the affected premises. SCDF is also applying foam to suppress the fire in the drains within the immediate vicinity."
Both SCDF and Police urged the public to stay away from the area.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Additional reporting Leanne Chua
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