PMD being charged sets off a blaze in Fernvale flat
Blaze was of electrical origin, caused by device that was charging at the time
Some residents were awakened in the wee hours of the morning yesterday after a fire broke out in a sixth-storey flat at Block 412A Fernvale Link.
In a Facebook post yesterday, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the incident at about 1.40am.
It added that its firefighters had to wear breathing apparatus and made a forced entry into the smoke-filled unit.
The fire was extinguished using a water jet. Four residents and their pet dog were rescued from two bedrooms.
The four were taken to Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation, and about 70 residents from the block were evacuated by the police.
Preliminary investigations revealed the fire was of electrical origin and caused by a personal mobility device that was charging at the time, said SCDF.
A resident who lives opposite the affected unit and who wanted to be known only as Hafiz, said his roommate was in the toilet when he heard loud noises outside.
Mr Hafiz said the roommate quickly woke him and two others up.
When Mr Hafiz opened the front door, he saw several firemen outside.
He told The New Paper: "There was thick smoke outside and this strong burning smell. The firemen were already spraying water at the unit. We were quite shocked, but quickly evacuated."
He returned to his unit only about an hour later, at 3am.
IWhen TNP visited the affected unit yesterday, an acrid smell lingered in the air and ash was found along the corridor.
Mrs Alice Ng, who lives upstairs, said she woke up to loud noises that sounded like someone banging down a door.
She looked out of her window and saw an orange glow emanating from one of the units in her block.
Another resident, who wanted be known only as Mr Mohamed, said he just moved into his newly renovated flat a week ago.
He said: "My brother woke up and thought there was a short circuit in the house because of the smell. Our kitchen is quite dirty now and there's still a smell, but at least everyone is safe."
A fourth-storey resident, Ms Jean Lai, did not know about the fire but was shocked to learn about it.
She said: "It's dangerous to be charging such items, and such incidents endanger everyone in the block. I think this is a hard lesson learnt."
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