Fire breaks out at Tanjong Pagar Centre construction site

SINGAPORE — A raging fire broke out during evening rush hour on Thursday (March 3) at the construction site of Tanjong Pagar Centre, sending columns of black smoke rising taller than the 290m building, as well as underground into parts of Tanjong Pagar MRT station.

No injuries were reported in the blaze, said a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officer on-site. The fire, which was confined within the construction area, was put out at 6.15pm, 20 minutes after it started.

“Upon arrival, the fire, which involved construction materials occupying an area of about 10m by 10m, was raging at the ground floor of the construction site. All workers at the construction site who self-evacuated prior to SCDF’s arrival were accounted for,” said an SCDF spokesperson.

SCDF said it was alerted to the incident at 6pm and dispatched four fire engines, one Red Rhino, two fire bikes, one support vehicle and one ambulance to the location.

By then, a large crowd of onlookers, including office and construction workers, had gathered around the site, many taking pictures and videos with their mobile phones.

“The cause of the fire is currently under investigation and we will assist in any way we can. The safety of our staff and workers remains our top priority,” said a spokesperson from Tanjong Pagar Centre’s developer GuocoLand.

Several entrances to Tanjong Pagar MRT station, which is under the construction site, were temporarily closed while the fire was ongoing.

Bangladeshi construction worker Bieno, who was on-site when the fire broke out, said the workers evacuated within three minutes. He said the fire occurred because of small sparks that fell onto the steel cutting.

Mr CK Tan, who works at the 41st storey of AXA Tower across the road from the site, said he noticed the fire moving linearly within the site. “The fire moved sideways within the site. It was the smoke that went very high up,” he said.

Construction of the development is due for completion in the middle of this year. When completed, the mixed-use development, which will house offices, luxury residences and a hotel, is set to be the tallest building in Singapore.

Blackened areas due to the fire. Photo: Kelly Ng

SCDF at the scene of the fire. Photo: Kelly Ng

Photo: Yu Hua