Loyang data centre fire: Building integrity unaffected, damping down operations completed 2 days after blaze

SINGAPORE: A fire that broke out at a data centre in Loyang on Tuesday (Sep 10) did not affect the structural integrity of the building, preliminary findings by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) showed. 

Damping down operations in the Digital Realty data centre at 3 Loyang Way were completed on Thursday, two days after the blaze, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

The fire affected two battery rooms, two power supply rooms and an equipment storage room on the mezzanine floor of the third storey.

"SCDF's preliminary fire investigation findings indicate that the cause of fire is likely to be of electrical origin from one of the battery rooms," said SCDF and BCA in a joint statement on Wednesday. 

"BCA's preliminary findings indicate some damage on the structure, but the structural integrity of the building is not affected," added the authorities.

BCA also found minor plaster delamination, paint peeling and soot on the reinforced concrete structures.

Out of precaution, BCA will issue a dangerous building order and closure order for some areas on levels 3, 3M and 4, the statement read.

The building owner is required to appoint a professional engineer to conduct a full assessment of the structures once the debris is cleared.

SCDF said on Thursday that the site had been fully handed over to the owner of the premises at about 10.30pm.

"A Company Emergency Response Team has been engaged by the premises owner to standby on-site while recovery operations are ongoing," it said.

Digital Realty is an international real estate firm that owns and operates data centres. It has three data centres in Singapore - two in Loyang and one in Jurong.

In a media statement on Thursday, Digital Realty said it has stayed in close contact with and supported affected clients throughout the incident, and is also complying with the BCA orders.

"We have taken further safety measures, including rigorous inspections and enhanced monitoring protocols, across all Digital Realty sites."

W.Media, a tech publisher focusing on cloud and data centre news, reported "significant disruptions" due to the fire, with the likes of Lazada and Bytedance affected. 

Alibaba Cloud confirmed its services were affected, as high temperatures affected the network connectivity of some of its cloud products.

In an update at 1.46am on Wednesday, Alibaba said that due to the water spraying from firefighting operations, "the server room has started to experience water accumulation and leaks, posing a risk of electrical short circuits".

"An emergency power shutdown has been implemented for one of the server building in Singapore Availability Zone C, while network services for other buildings in Availability Zone C have been gradually restored."

An availability zone is a distinct, isolated data centre location within a cloud provider's infrastructure. Alibaba Cloud has three availability zones in Singapore.

“Our priority is to minimise the impact of the disruption and our engineers are working with the affected customers to restore normal services as quickly as possible,” an Alibaba Cloud spokesperson told CNA on Wednesday afternoon.

CNA has also contacted Lazada and Bytedance for more information.