Man charged with causing fire in Tampines flat by dropping lit cigarette on floor

SINGAPORE — A man was charged on Monday (Dec 12) with causing a fire by dropping a lit cigarette on a floor that had kerosene on it.

Loh Fu Wah, 63, was handed one count of negligently causing a fire at Block 941 Tampines Avenue 5 on Jan 28 this year.

He is accused of dropping a lit cigarette on the floor of a bedroom, when there was kerosene on the floor. The ensuing fire damaged the 10th-floor flat and the common corridor along the entrance of the flat.

In a Facebook post by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) on Jan 29, firefighters responded to the incident and found the fire raging when they arrived.

The fire had "totally engulfed a two-storey unit on the 10th floor", SCDF said.

Firefighters forced their way into the bedroom and found a man lying unconscious on the floor. They rescued him from the burning unit and he was taken to Changi General Hospital.

About 180 people from neighbouring flats were evacuated.

Loh intends to plead guilty and will return to court next month to do so. If convicted of negligently causing a fire, he can be jailed for up to 18 months or fined, or both. CNA

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