Hundreds evacuated because of fires at Sim Lim Square, Tang Plaza
A computer technician at Sim Lim Square had been warned that the fire alarm would be tested yesterday.
Yet when it sounded at noon, it was for an actual fire on the fifth storey of the IT mall.
The blaze caused about 150 people to be evacuated.
They were guided out by the emergency response team before the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) arrived.
SCDF told The New Paper that the fire involved the contents of a rubbish bin.
The technician, who wanted to be known only as Mr Sachithanantham, works on the fifth storey. He told TNP: "I thought that the siren was for the test. So I remained in my shop."
The 47-year-old, who works at Suhail Computers, added that he left his shop when he was told by a neighbour that the emergency was real.
The owner of another store on the same level, Mr Chelian, 38, said he began to smell smoke around 11.45am.
He said: "I went to see what was happening and I saw white smoke coming from the loading bay lift lobby."
Mr Chelian added that several security guards rushed to the source of the smoke.
When the smoke built up, he was evacuated from the building with other shop owners.
The building's sprinkler system was activated and the fire was extinguished by SCDF using a hose reel.
Mr Chelian said that when he returned to his shop, Riyan Technologies, around 2pm, there were large pools of water on the floor outside the shop.
TANG PLAZA
This fire followed one on Saturday night at Tang Plaza on Orchard Road.
SCDF said it was alerted to that fire at about 8.40pm.
Some 200 people were evacuated from the premises by security guards.
The fire involved electrical wiring and was extinguished by sprinklers before SCDF's arrival.
In both cases, no injuries were reported. The causes of the fires are under investigation.
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