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East Coast blaze: Pit cover of fire hydrant stuck, water drawn from nearest one 10 minutes after firefighters’ arrival, says SCDF

SINGAPORE — The pit cover of the fire hydrant nearest to Monday’s (Jan 9) blaze along East Coast Road was stuck and could not be dislodged initially, so firefighters followed standard procedure to proceed to the next nearest hydrant.

Firefighters conducting damping down operations inside one of the affected units along East Coast Road on Jan 10, 2022.

Firefighters conducting damping down operations inside one of the affected units along East Coast Road on Jan 10, 2022.

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  • The pit cover of the fire hydrant nearest to Monday's blaze along East Coast Road was stuck, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force
  • Firefighters then proceeded to use the next nearest hydrant, according to standard procedure
  • They managed to dislodge the pit cover at around 12.35am, nearly 40 minutes after they first arrived
  • In the meantime, they had been using three other fire hydrants in the area
  • The fire hydrant with the stuck pit cover was found to be operating in its last operational check in December 2021

SINGAPORE — The pit cover of the fire hydrant nearest to Monday’s (Jan 9) blaze along East Coast Road was stuck and could not be dislodged initially, so firefighters followed standard procedure to proceed to the next nearest hydrant.

They secured a water supply from this second hydrant some 100m away from the fire about 10 minutes after they first arrived at the scene, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) on Friday night.

Its statement providing a timeline of what happened followed earlier eyewitness accounts that firefighters had faced difficulties when operating one of the fire hydrants, which allowed the fire to spread. 

In its statement, SCDF also said that the fire hydrant with the stuck pit cover was found to be in proper working condition in its last operational test conducted in December 2021.

"This hydrant would have been tested again within this work year, by March 2023," it added.

Eyewitnesses to Monday’s fire — which damaged six terrace houses and injured one person — had told TODAY that they watched emergency responders take half an hour to get a fire hydrant to work.

They also said some believed things might have been different if the fire hydrant had worked as it should.

National water agency PUB had said that the fire hydrants in the area were working during checks conducted on Tuesday morning, and that there is sufficient water pressure to support SCDF’s operations.

WHAT HAPPENED

SCDF said that it was alerted to a fire at 12S East Coast Road on Jan 9 at about 11.50pm, and that a Light Fire Attack Vehicle arrived within six minutes.

At this point, the fire was “well alight” at two of the units, and was threatening to spread to two adjacent units via the roof.

Crew from the Light Fire Attack Vehicle proceeded to the nearest hydrant to set up water supply, while a fire engine — which arrived around 11.57pm — commenced firefighting operations with two water jets, drawing water from the fire engine’s internal tank.

The internal tank has enough water to support firefighting operations for at least about 10 minutes before replenishment is needed, added SCDF.

However, the pit cover of the nearest hydrant was stuck, and attempts to dislodge it were unsuccessful. SCDF did not say  why the fire hydrant was stuck.

“An assessment was then made to use the next nearest hydrant, which is standard procedure," it said.

Water supply from this hydrant, which was about 100m from the affected units, was established at about 12.06am, or 10 minutes after firefighters first arrived.

While the water was initially channelled to the Light Fire Attack Vehicle’s water monitor to fight the fire, a decision was made to redirect it to the fire engine’s water tank to ensure that there was no water disruption to the two water jets.

At around 12.11am, subsequent arriving resources from the SCDF were deployed to the rear of the affected units, utilising water from two other fire hydrants located in the vicinity.

By this point, the fire had spread to four units.

SCDF added that around 12.35am, the pit cover of the first hydrant was finally dislodged after another attempt, and water from the source was used to support the firefighting operations.

“With a total of four hydrants supplying water for the firefighting efforts, the strategy was to surround and contain the fire to the affected units,” said SCDF.

“This included the deployment of an aerial water jet from the Combined Platform Ladder which helped to limit the spread of the fire and minimise the damage to neighbouring units.”

At around 12.40am, about 45 minutes after SCDF’s arrival, the fires were brought under control and water jets were then deployed into the affected units to fully extinguish the fires.

“In total, six water jets including an aerial water jet from the Combined Platform Ladder were deployed for the firefighting operation,” said SCDF, adding that the fires were extinguished in about two hours.

In total, 15 SCDF emergency vehicles and about 60 officers were deployed for the fire.

Addressing queries about the fire hydrant that was stuck, SCDF said that fire safety provisions in residential premises are crucial for residents’ safety and protection during a fire emergency.

"Operational tests are conducted annually on all hydrants in Singapore,” it added.

According to SCDF's website, the tests check that the area's water network can deliver optimal water flow and operating pressure.

It takes a team of four firefighters about an hour to test three fire hydrants.

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