35 evacuated after fire breaks out in Jalan Bukit Merah flat

SINGAPORE — Thirty-five people were evacuated following a fire at a Housing and Development Board flat in Jalan Bukit Merah on Tuesday (May 17).

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that it was alerted to the incident at Block 117 Jalan Bukit Merah at about 11.35am.

Thick black smoke could be seen coming from a unit on the ninth floor.

SCDF said that firefighters wearing breathing apparatus sets had to "conduct forcible entry to gain access into the unit". No one was in the flat at the time.

The blaze, which was linked to the contents of a bedroom, was extinguished with one water jet.

"About 35 persons were evacuated from neighbouring units as a precautionary measure. There were no reported injuries,” SCDF said in a Facebook post.

Preliminary investigation into the cause of the fire indicates that it was of electrical origin.

A photo of the affected flat showed a charred bed frame as well as burnt walls. The exterior of the block was also blackened with soot.

The incident is the latest in a string of fires in recent weeks. 

On May 14, one person was taken to hospital after a coffee shop blaze along Serangoon Central Drive. The fire was linked to a kitchen exhaust ducting of the eatery, with flames rising several storeys up the side of the building.

On May 13, a fire at a fourth-floor public flat in Bedok North claimed the lives of three people, including a three-year-old. Sixty people were evacuated as a precautionary measure and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. CNA