Occupants of a building in Tampines Street 92 had to be evacuated on Wednesday (Aug 17) afternoon after a huge fire broke out.
The incident had reportedly started before 2pm at CK Building, according to local media.
Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) in a Facebook post that its firefighters were on hand to battle the raging fire and that occupants from two immediate neighbouring buildings were also evacuated.
According to The Straits Times, 67 people were evacuated from the burning CK building.
The fire was finally extinguished at around 6.45pm, more than four hours after it was first reported.
While there were reportedly no known casualties, SCDF added that one firefighter had to be sent to the hospital due to heat exhaustion.
The fire was “raging on the 3rd and 4th floor” of the building, SCDF said. It added that multiple small explosions were heard within the building and these were believed to be from household aerosol cans.
Several bystanders, including those from as far as Kallang, took to social media platforms to share videos and pictures of black smoke billowing.
Mr Liu Chang Dong, 44, told The Straits Times that he was the one who “discovered the fire”.
The cleaner, who works in the building next door, said: “I was cleaning the floor, when I saw that there was smoke. I quickly told our security guard, who called the fire department.”
Five fire engines, two Red Rhinos, two fire bikes, 12 support vehicles and two ambulances were dispatched by the SCDF. It also deployed multiple water jets on the outside of the building to contain the fire.
Assistant Commissioner Ling Young Ern, the SCDF Operations Department Director told reporters at the scene that this is the largest deployment of SCDF resources for a fire in an industrial estate this year.
It is also the first time that four aerial appliances had to be used to quell a fire.
The cause of fire is still under investigation.
ssandrea@sph.com.sg
