10 Facts You Might Want to Know about the Jurong West Fire

Last Updated on 2016-11-15 , 6:26 pm

For those who didn’t know, a fire broke out at a Jurong West coffee shop and wet market on Tuesday morning (11 October 2016). Here’re some facts about the whole incident that you might want to know.

#1. The fire took place in the middle of the night
The whole fire broke out in the wee hours of the night and the Singapore Civil Defence Force was alerted at about 2.45am.

#2. A total of 18 emergency vehicles was dispatched to the scene
Three fire engines, four Road Rhinos, seven support vehicles and four ambulances was dispatched the moment SCDF was alerted to the “raging fire” at Jurong West.

#3. Before the fire broke out, shouting was heard in the nearby vicinity
A resident, Mr Tony Pan, 66, who lives in Block 499, heard people shouting under a nearby tree minutes before the fire started.

#4. Residents in the neighbourhood vicinity was immediate evacuated
Total about 300 residents from the surrounding blocks were evacuated by police and SCDF officers. The fire was extinguished by 4.15am and the residents was allowed back to their homes awhile after that.

#5. The fire was so bad that neighbouring flats’ exterior was burnt as well
A resident’s exterior wall of his three-room flat on the third storey, which is next to the wet market, was damaged

#6. The damage from the fire was huge
The fire destroyed a total of 36 stalls in the wet market and 10 in the coffee shop.

#7. The building structure remains stable after the fire was extinguished
The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said its engineers inspected the building and found that the building structure of Block 493 remains stable although the roof has partially collapsed. It will take a while before they can access the area. The two coffee shops adjacent to the market was affected as well – they are unlikely to operate for now.

#8. No injuries were reported
There were no injuries aside from a woman in her 60s who had breathing difficulties while being evacuated. She was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

#9. Explosion were heard
A total of three explosions was heard by residents nearby. One of the interviewed resident was afraid that the fire would spread to the gas tanks in the coffee shop below his block.

#10. The cause was still unknown
The cause of the fire is under investigation

Residents who had the SGSecure app was the first few to be alerted of the incidents. The Ministry of Home Affairs said that this would encourage more people to download the app so that they can receive such alert in the future. So guys, go and download the application! It’s free, so why not! Better to be safe than sorry!

Featured image: Facebook / Singapore Civil Defence Force

This article was first published on Goodyfeed.com