3 taken to hospital after fire at Kovan condo; one with burn injuries

SINGAPORE: Three people were taken to hospital after a fire broke out at a condominium in Kovan on Thursday (Feb 19) morning.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post that it was alerted to a blaze at 6 Kovan Rise, the address of Kovan Regency.

Firefighters from Sengkang, Paya Lebar and Kallang fire stations responded to the incident, and found a 14th-floor unit ablaze upon arrival.

"Firefighters heard shouts for help and sounds of pounding on doors from within the unit," SCDF said. "Firefighters immediately entered the smoke-filled unit and began a search of the two-storey unit." 

SCDF added that six people, including four from the first level, were rescued from the affected unit.

The fire, which involved the kitchen and living room on the first level, was extinguished with a water jet, while the rest of the unit sustained varying degrees of heat and smoke damage.  

Of the six rescued, three were assessed for smoke inhalation, with one also suffering burn injuries. They were taken to Singapore General Hospital.

The remaining three did not require ambulance assistance. 

According to SCDF, around 100 residents had self-evacuated before firefighters arrived on the scene. 

The cause of the fire is under investigation.