Three dead after fire breaks out in Hougang flat
Water jets are deployed during firefighting operations at Block 971, Hougang Street 91 on Jan 9, 2025. (Photo: Facebook/Singapore Civil Defence Force)
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SINGAPORE: Three people died after a fire broke out in a Hougang flat on Thursday (Jan 9), the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said.
Two of them were found in a bedroom as SCDF was fighting the fire and were pronounced dead at the scene. It later said in an update that a third body was found.
Firefighters were dispatched to Block 971, Hougang Street 91 after SCDF was alerted to the fire at about 12.40pm.
Three water jets were used to extinguish the fire, which involved a unit on the third floor. A firefighting robot was also used to ventilate the unit.
"Firefighters conducted forcible entry into the unit but encountered challenges entering due to excessive items within the unit,” said SCDF in a Facebook post.
“During the firefighting operation, firefighters found two persons inside a bedroom. Both persons were pronounced dead at the scene by an SCDF paramedic.”
It said in an update in the evening that a third body was found in a bedroom.
About 30 people were evacuated from the affected block by police and SCDF officers as a precautionary measure.
SCDF said that the fire was extinguished at about 3.15pm.
A cat, a bird and eight rabbits were also brought out of the unit alive by firefighters, SCDF said, adding that it is investigating the cause of the fire.
On Saturday, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said that one of the dead was a 62-year-old man and another was an 18-year-old woman. The identity of the third person who died in the blaze was still being established.
SPF added that it does not suspect foul play in the fire, based on preliminary investigations, and that its investigations are ongoing.
