Residents evacuated after fire breaks out at East Coast Road

SINGAPORE: About 20 residents along East Coast Road were evacuated after a fire broke out in a terrace house late on Monday (Jan 9).

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire at No 12S East Coast Road at around 11.50pm, adding that the fire was "well alight" and had affected four terrace house units when firefighters arrived.

“SCDF firefighters immediately set up water jets to surround and contain the fire to the four units,” said SCDF in a Facebook post.

“A Combined Platform Ladder was also deployed to conduct aerial firefighting and prevent the further spread of the fire."

At the height of the operation, a total of six water jets were deployed, said SCDF.

An eyewitness saw people coming out of the nearby Village Hotel Katong with their luggage. 

"I assume the people staying on the lower floors of the hotel got evacuated too ... Most of us were also evacuated by the police (at around 1am) because the smoke was getting too huge," she said.

Another eyewitness, who did not want to be named, told CNA he had woken up to the smell of smoke at about 11.56pm and saw the houses on fire. 

SCDF said the fire was extinguished at about 1.50am on Tuesday, with damping down operations still ongoing at about 4.20am.

Damping down refers to the application of water to wet burnt surfaces immediately after a fire is put out to prevent any potential rekindling from the hot burnt surfaces.

As a result of the fire, two other adjacent terrace house units also sustained varying degrees of damage, said SCDF.

About 20 occupants from the affected units and neighbouring units were evacuated by the police as a precautionary measure, it added.

A person was assessed by an SCDF paramedic for a minor burn injury and taken to the Singapore General Hospital.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

MP Tan See Leng (PAP-Marine Parade) said a total of six terrace house units were affected by the fire. 

Dr Tan, who is Manpower Minister, said an elderly couple had slight injuries and were taken to the hospital for follow-up and observation. 

"It is indeed a miracle that there were no major injuries," he added.

Dr Tan also thanked the SCDF team for putting out the fire and the grassroots volunteers who went to assist those affected.

A helpline will be set up for the residents affected by the fire. An outreach session will also be organised to help affected residents, Dr Tan said.

"I also managed to speak with a resident who was affected to understand the impact. Notwithstanding the adverse impact, he has maintained his calm and good spirits. We will see how to help the residents affected in the coming days," he added.

"The authorities will be conducting an investigation into the cause of the fire and update us in due time."