Old Second-Hand Air-Conditioner Suddenly Exploded & Burned Down HDB Room

Last Updated on 2023-05-05 , 9:34 pm

Trying not to burn a hole in his pocket, a man decided to install an old second-hand air-conditioner in his home.

Little did he know that this air-conditioner would explode and burn his HDB flat.

Well, now that hole in his pocket has to be burnt, regardless.

Old Second-Hand Air-Conditioner Suddenly Explodes

On Thursday (27 April), a unit at Block 110, Jalan Bukit Merah, was suddenly set ablaze at approximately 3:40 pm. The unit was located on the eighth floor of the HDB block—not so huat after all.

According to Shin Min Daily News, the fire broke out, ironically, because 19an air-conditioner in the flat which exploded.

I have a strange feeling we’re going to see more “Daikin 5 Ticks Smile Series” air-conditioner advertisements soon.

The flat’s 34-year-old resident, Mr Chen, had installed an old second-hand air-conditioner in the flat out of concern for his daughter’s wellbeing.

According to Mr Chen, his family only moved into the Jalan Bukit Merah flat two years ago. Knowing that his newborn daughter had sensitive skin that would flare up with heat rashes in hot environments, he installed a second-hand air-conditioner in his home.

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The 34-year-old had acquired the old second-hand air-conditioner from his neighbour, who was moving out when his family was moving into the flat.

He never thought he would quite literally be playing with fire by installing this second-hand air-conditioner.

Room in HDB Unit Set Ablaze by Air-Conditioner

According to Shin Min Daily News, the air-conditioner had exploded and set the room in which it was installed ablaze.

When the fire broke out, only Mr Chen’s wife, his 19-month-old daughter and his 8-year-old son were home. According to Mr Chen, his wife evacuated the flat with the two children when she noticed smoke blowing from the air-conditioner.

Eyewitnesses report seeing thick fumes from the burning unit, with the corridor outside the eighth-floor unit stained black by the smoke.

Fortunately, the fire was put out quickly by the members of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). According to the SCDF, two people were sent to the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital pursuant to this incident.

The precise cause of the fire is currently under investigation by SCDF.

Not the First Fire to Break Out in HDB Flat This Week

This Jalan Bukit Merah fire is not the first house fire to be reported this week.

Last Thursday (20 April), a fire broke out in a ninth-floor HDB unit at Block 10 Jalan Batu. Eighty residents in the Mountbatten flat had to be evacuated.

The source of the fire, however, wasn’t an air-conditioner. This time, it was something closer to the hearts of the YPs who used to own the streets of Singapore in 2019—an e-bike.

Fortunately, the SCDF managed to quash the raging fire in the ninth-floor unit. Only one person was sent to the hospital due to the Jalan Batu fire.