Man who hoarded items died from accidental fire in Tampines flat: Coroner

SINGAPORE — When a fire broke out in 58-year-old Sim Buay Piak’s Tampines flat last year, firefighters struggled to get through stacks of hoarded items that towered to the ceiling.

When they finally got to Sim, he was squatting in an unconscious state in the kitchen toilet, clutching a rubber hose connected to a water tap.

However, there was no electricity or water supply in his flat as he had not been paying the utility bills.

He was later pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene, having succumbed to smoke inhalation.

On Thursday (July 11), his death was ruled an unfortunate misadventure by State Coroner Kamala Ponnampalam, who said there was no basis to suspect foul play.

She noted that Sim had most likely found himself trapped in his flat, unable to escape with the items he had hoarded blocking his way to the door. The lack of ventilation had also trapped the heat in the unit.

After investigating the incident, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) found that it was possibly caused either by naked light from candles he used to light his home, or cigarette embers.

His brother said that Sim used to work as an air-conditioning technician and did odd jobs, but began hoarding items to resell when he became unemployed.

WHAT HAPPENED

The incident happened on May 27 last year at about 9.30pm. Sim was living at Block 157 Tampines Street 12 then.

An SCDF officer at the scene said that the team had difficulties entering the flat due to the many items stacked behind the door.

When they managed to cut the door open, they had to climb and crawl their way in. The hoarded items included refrigerators, toilet bi-fold doors and other miscellaneous hardware.

Metal items such as pots and pans had to be cooled so the team could search for Sim.

When the firefighters found him, his arms were folded in front of his chest, holding the rubber hose close to his face. He was wearing only a pair of Bermuda shorts.

"He must have retreated towards the back of the unit and into the toilet next to the kitchen to avoid the intense heat. Unfortunately, he was overcome by the smoke and was subsequently found unresponsive in the toilet by the firefighters,” State Coroner Kamala noted.

When the firefighters tried turning the tap on, there was no water. He was carried out of the flat and attended to by paramedics, who pronounced him dead two hours after the fire broke out.

The fire was extinguished in about half an hour.

HOARDED ITEMS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE FLAT

Mr Tan Kah Chun, who was assigned to him as his case worker in April 2018, found out that Sim depended on community help for his daily essential needs. Sim also told the social worker that he had been collecting scrap items to sell for a few years.

When Mr Tan asked him to get rid of the items, as it was difficult to even get into the living room, he was reluctant to do so. He bought Sim battery-operated lamps, but was unsure if he used them.

According to Sim’s younger brother, he rented out a room in the flat till about five years ago, then began staying there alone.

The younger man advised Sim to clear out some of the items, but he would reply that he intended to dismantle and sell them for money. He had an altar in the living room and would sometimes light candles or joss sticks to pray there.

Sim’s older brother had also cautioned him not to hoard items as they could catch fire, but Sim shrugged off his warnings.

Sim’s neighbour said that he had also left items in the common corridor outside his unit, such as washing machines and luggage.