Early this morning (6 May), a fire broke out in a Whampoa HDB flat, resulting in the death of a 60-year-old man.

In a Facebook post, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to a fire at Block 76 Lorong Limau at around 2:30am.

Upon arrival, the SCDF found the fire “raging” inside a unit on the sixth floor and firefighters had to force their way in.

The fire had affected the entire unit and was extinguished by firefighters from Central Fire Station and Bishan Fire Station with two water jets.

Two People Alive, One Dead

SCDF said two persons were found in the utility room in the kitchen area and were rescued by firefighters before being conveyed to Singapore General Hospital.

A third person was found in a bedroom and was pronounced dead at the scene by an SCDF paramedic.

The Straits Times reported that the deceased is a 60-year-old man, and the two people taken to the hospital are women aged 60 and 77.

According to a follow-up Facebook post by MP for Jalan Besar GRC Heng Chee How, the two women were family members of the man.

“The community organisations are working closely with HDB and the Town Council to render assistance and support to the affected families,” Mr Heng said.

“We will come through this together.”

200 People From Neighbouring Units Were Evacuated

According to SCDF, about 200 people from neighbouring units were evacuated by the police and SCDF as a precautionary measure.

They have since returned home, said Mr Heng.

Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

According to SCDF’s annual statistics report released on 21 February, there were three fatalities in 2023 and eight in 2022.

2023 saw 1,954 fires, an 8.6% increase from 1,700 in 2022.

The top two causes were electrical fires and unattended cooking, with 597 and 456 cases respectively.

2023 also saw more fires involving active mobility devices such as personal mobility devices, power-assisted bicycles, and personal mobility aids. Such cases increased by 31% to 55 cases last year, up from 42 cases in 2022.

In February, two fires broke out at two flats in Marsiling on the same day, with one causing the death of a 72-year-old man. He was found unconscious in a toilet by SCDF officers and was rushed to hospital, but later succumbed to his injuries.

In the same month, a fire broke out in a HDB flat in Sembawang, claiming the life of an elderly man who lived alone.

Last month, two massive fires broke out in two different industrial areas within three hours. One occurred at an industrial state in Eunos at about 9:15pm on 2 April while the other occurred three hours later at Defu Lane at about 12:20am on 3 April.

No injuries were reported for the fire at Eunos, though the fire at Defu Lane sent two people, including a firefighter who suffered from heat exhaustion, to the hospital.