Fire breaks out at Pinnacle@Duxton

SINGAPORE — They were taking an afternoon nap, when the resident and her eight-year-old son woke up to a fire in their 29th floor unit at the iconic public housing development Pinnacle@Duxton today (Jan 26). Frantic, the mother and son immediately rushed out of their five-room apartment at Block 1E. The woman then called the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and her husband, who was not at home when the fire broke out.

The couple, in their 30s, and their son were distraught when TODAY visited the scene. The man, who declined to be named, said it was likely that an altar candle had tipped over, and that the family would be putting up at his parents’ place for the time being.

The SCDF, which was alerted to the fire at 3.30pm, said the fire involved the contents of the living room. The cause of the fire is currently under SCDF investigation.

The SCDF dispatched three fire engines and one supporting vehicle, and the fire was extinguished using a hosereel and one water jet. No one was injured in the incident.

Ten residents had evacuated themselves to the refuge floor on the 26th floor of the 50-storey apartment block, while another 30 had self-evacuated to the open deck on the third floor before the SCDF arrived, said the SCDF.

Residents in neighbouring units said they smelt smoke and heard shouting in the corridors, which alerted them to the fire and caused them to seek refuge.

Ms Yap Sock Hoon, 40, who lives next to the affected unit, said she was doing her laundry when she smelt smoke and heard loud pops that sounded like firecrackers going off. She also heard “a lot of people shouting”.

When she saw black smoke come out of the affected unit’s kitchen window, Ms Yap asked her daughter to call the SCDF and to wake her father-in-law who was taking a nap. They then evacuated their apartment and headed for the 26th floor.

Another neighbour, Dr Irene Sim, 32, who lives directly above the affected unit, said her domestic helper alerted her family, who were sleeping, after hearing “crackling” sounds which grew louder, and seeing “very thick” smoke from their unit’s kitchen window.

The Pinnacle, which was completed in December 2009, comprises seven connected 50-storey towers.