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Man, 60, to be charged over fire incident at St Hilda’s Church

SINGAPORE — A 60-year-old man, who will be charged in court on Tuesday (April 18) for setting alight a room at St Hilda’s Church last Sunday, appears to be known to the church.

SINGAPORE — A  60-year-old man, who will be charged in court on Tuesday (April 18) for setting alight a room at St Hilda’s Church last Sunday, appears to be known to the church.

While it is not known whether the man is an employee or a member of the Anglican church at Ceylon Road, the church said, in response to Today’s queries, that it was helping the suspect and his family “through this difficult time”. It did not elaborate, citing ongoing investigations.

The church also said on Monday (April 17) that no one was hurt in the incident, and that the room in  question was used to store old clothes, toys and books.

The man, who was arrested after the fire, will be charged with mischief by fire, an offence which carries a life imprisonment, or a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine.

The fire, which occurred on Sunday morning, saw the room on the second floor of the block next to the main hall in St Hilda’s Church set ablaze.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it received a call at around 7am, which stated that there was black smoke coming out from the roof of the church. The fire was confined to the room and extinguished quickly, said the SCDF.

There was no other damage to the building, which sits adjacent to the main church hall.

Despite the fire, the church said all services that day, which was Easter Sunday,  were “conducted smoothly as planned”.

Mr Koh Ah Choon, who has lived along Ceylon Road for more than 30 years, said he felt something was amiss on Sunday morning when the police cars and fire trucks went by his house.

Curious, he stepped out for a look, and saw smoke “coming out from the church”.

“It was quite black, and smelt like burnt plastic,” said Mr Koh, who is in his 60s, in Mandarin.

Another resident in the area of some 20 years, who wanted to be known only as Madam Tan, said that this was the first time since she moved in that a fire had broken out.

“The estate is usually quite peaceful, so for me, it didn’t feel right, when I saw so many (vehicles) from the SCDF and police,” she added.

Some residents told TODAY that the church’s compound — which also houses a kindergarten — would always be locked at night, and would usually be open only from 7am.

St Hilda’s Church, which was founded in 1934, underwent a renovation in 2015.

When TODAY visited the  church on Monday, it was not immediately evident that a fire had broken out at the premises just two days earlier. It was only upon closer inspection of the second floor of the block facing Fowlie Road that a visitor could see that one of the rooms had been hit by a blaze.

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