Woman flees Indus Road flat fire in just a towel
150 evacuated, three taken to hospital
She heard screams coming from the carpark below, and when she looked out of her fourth-storey window, Ms Chandra Kanda saw a woman clad in only a towel desperately calling for help.
Ms Chandra, 47, who lives in Block 77 Indus Road, then spotted fire on the 15th storey of the opposite block, followed by explosions.
She grabbed a dress and rushed downstairs.
She told The New Paper yesterday: "The woman, who turned out to be a maid, was so scared and she held on to me for very long.
"We had to convince her to get dressed before we called the police."
The fire broke out in Block 78 Indus Road around 9.30pm on Monday, and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said flames engulfed the living room, kitchen and one bedroom of the Housing Board unit.
No one was in the flat when the SCDF arrived. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Three residents who were among the 150 people evacuated were taken to the Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation.
When TNP visited the scene yesterday, some residents were scrubbing the walls and walkway on the 16th and 17th storeys, while others were spotted cleaning furniture.
Residents said the maid who raised the alarm was alone in the 15th-storey unit at Block 78 and was taking a shower when the fire broke out.
She lived there with an elderly woman and her two sons, but the woman died last month. The two men were not at home on Monday night.
A resident, who wanted to be known only as Mr Zhang, said he was watching television with his family in their 16th-storey unit when he heard loud noises.
He opened the front door to find thick smoke engulfing the corridor.
"I quickly closed the door and told the rest of my family. My wife, daughters and the maid were so scared that they started crying.
"When the policeman came to help us evacuate, we rushed out without locking the door. The policeman had to carry my elderly mother to safety."
They managed to return to their unit around midnight.
TEMPORARY HOUSING
Dr Lily Neo, an MP for Jalan Besar GRC, told TNP that three families are temporarily being housed in Block 79.
They are from units on the 15th, 18th and 19th storeys of Block 78.
She said: "Right after the authorities allowed us to go up, the town council went up to restore the corridor lights for the residents.
"Officers from (HDB) have arranged for electricity and water to be restored and have bought daily necessities for the affected families."
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