7 people, including firefighter and child, taken to hospital after Toa Payoh flat blaze

SINGAPORE: Seven people, including a firefighter and a child, were taken to hospital on Tuesday (Jul 29) after a fire broke out in a Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat in Toa Payoh.

The blaze started in a flat on the 10th floor of Block 229 Toa Payoh Lorong 8 and subsequently spread to another unit on the 11th floor.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that it was alerted to the incident at about 1.10pm and the fire was raging inside the 10th-floor unit when firefighters arrived.

The fire in the 10th-floor unit was the first to be brought under control. In an update at about 5.40pm, SCDF said that firefighters had also extinguished the fire in the 11th-floor unit.

SCDF initially said that three people had been assessed for smoke inhalation and burn injuries, and taken to Singapore General Hospital (SGH).

Later in the afternoon, Mr Saktiandi Supaat, who is a Member of Parliament for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, said that the number of people taken to hospital had risen to seven.

Mr Saktiandi said a firefighter and a child were among those affected, adding that the firefighter was "affected by smoke inhalation" while battling the blaze and was taken to the hospital in a conscious state.

A couple, their three children, a maid and a dog lived in the unit that caught fire, the owner’s sister told CNA.

SCDF later said that two people from the 10th-floor unit and three others from neighbouring units had been assessed for smoke inhalation and taken to SGH, with one of them sustaining burn injuries.

The child, who was from a neighbouring unit, was also assessed for smoke inhalation and taken to KK Women's and Children's Hospital, SCDF said.

SCDF added that the firefighter was taken to SGH as a precaution after he "experienced fatigue and felt unwell" during the firefighting operation.

Footage showed thick smoke billowing out of several windows of the unit on the 10th floor, with a few window frames mangled from the heat.

Charred pieces of debris, including what appeared to be part of a fallen window frame, were seen at the foot of the building.

The smoke could also be seen from the nearby Central Expressway.

There were about nine SCDF vehicles, including two ambulances, as well as three police cars near the affected block when CNA arrived at the scene at about 2.15pm.

SCDF personnel were seen attending to several individuals and administering oxygen.

A crowd of about 100 people were also gathered at an adjacent basketball court.

An elderly lady was resting on a stretcher chair at a badminton court at the foot of the block, and several residents said that others had already been taken to the hospital.

Mr Lawrence Tan, a resident living on the ninth floor with his wife and two-year-old grandson, said that he detected a "fishy" rubber smell around 1pm. After leaving his flat, he encountered a lady in her 40s running down from the 10th floor seeking help.

It was her house that had caught fire, and she claimed that it started from the clothes dryer in the kitchen, Mr Tan said.

"I helped her to call 995 and we knocked on the doors on the ninth floor before taking the lift down," said the 74-year-old added.

A resident living on the ninth floor who only wanted to be known as Mr Yeo said he was resting at home when the police started knocking on doors and telling people to evacuate.

"We closed all our windows and I took my bag and went downstairs. I also helped the elderly on my floor come down as some of them were in wheelchairs."

"I think there are people still stuck on the 12th floor and above. I’ve already seen about three to four residents being brought to the hospital," Mr Yeo said.

Mr Saktiandi spoke to CNA after he arrived at the scene of the fire at around 2.45pm.

He said he was aware there were still residents stuck on the higher floors, but that SCDF was "trying their best" to evacuate them.

When asked about the residents conveyed to the hospital, Mr Saktiandi said he hopes that they are well taken care of.

"I'm worried about the firefighters because… it's a point block, it (does not) have (corridors), and (the unit) is on a high floor," he said. "Let's hope they can contain the fire."

Grassroots leaders will ensure that the occupants of units affected by the fire are provided with alternative housing arrangements, said Mr Saktiandi, who represents the Toa Payoh East ward in the constituency. These temporary arrangements will be provided by HDB.

He said he was not aware of what caused the fire and did not want to speculate about this, urging the public to wait for SCDF to complete its investigation into the incident.

Mr Maheason Prumal, assistant treasurer of the Toa Payoh East Zone 2 Residents' Network, said that the area's residents' committee centre has also been prepared to accommodate those who need a place to sleep tonight following the fire.

Mr Prumal and his team of volunteers also brought water, fruit juice and snacks for residents.

"We're very concerned about the elderly because this is quite a mature estate," he said.

"Besides the agencies doing their work, we as the resident committee are doing everything we can to manage and calm down the trauma," he added.

Ms Ivy Wang, who lives in the unit next to the one where the fire started, said that her husband received a message from a neighbour living in the opposite block about the blaze on the 10th floor.

"They live next to us. Their laundry area is next to our laundry area. When we look up from here, we can see that (our flat is) not affected. But we're worried about the kitchen," she said.

Ms Wang and her husband said that they will likely be staying in temporary housing provided by HDB for the time being.

At about 4.15pm, several residents at the basketball court were still being assessed by paramedics, with some being given oxygen and having their blood pressure checked.

By 6.10pm, all residents except those living on floors nine to 13 had been allowed to return to their units.