Fire in Katong engulfs terrace house, two neighbouring units also damaged
Seven water jets were required to put the fire out.
The aftermath of a fire at 25 Mugliston Road on May 13, 2024. (Photo: Facebook/Singapore Civil Defence Force)
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SINGAPORE: A fire broke out at a terrace house in Katong on Monday (May 13), gutting its front and also causing damage to two neighbouring units.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to a fire at 25 Mugliston Road at 11.35am.
When first responders arrived, the blaze was “well alight” and firefighters deployed water jets in front and at the rear of the affected house, including three adjacent houses, to contain it, SCDF said in a Facebook post.
“At the height of the firefighting operation, a total of seven water jets were deployed.”
The occupants of the affected terrace house as well as the neighbouring units had evacuated before SCDF’s arrival. No injuries were reported.
The fire was largely contained to the affected house although two adjacent houses also sustained burn damages.
Damping down operations, which refers to the application of water to wet burnt surfaces immediately after a fire has been put out to prevent it from rekindling, were ongoing, said SCDF.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said that it has sent engineers to inspect the affected structure.
"There were structural damages to the reinforced concrete structures and timber roof structures of unit 25 and damage to the timber roof structures of the adjacent units 23 & 27," a BCA spokesperson said.
The authority will be issuing a dangerous building order and a closure order to the owners of the three units.
Only the first storeys of units 23 and 27 are safe for occupation, it added.
After being issued the orders, the buildings' owners are required to appoint professional engineers to conduct a detailed investigation and recommend permanent rectifications.
In the meantime, the affected areas have been cordoned off for safety.
On Monday, videos of raging flames and a thick cloud of smoke rising from a terrace house in Katong emerged on social media.
A photo posted by SCDF of the fire’s aftermath showed a badly burnt house with a missing roof and a blackened front.
Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.
