‘Burning’ Smells Were Reported in the East of S’pore This Morning (8 Feb)

If you live in the east of Singapore and thought that your kitchen was burning this morning, fret not: you’re not alone.

According to reports and multiple “nose-witnesses”, a strong burning smell suddenly occurred in the east of Singapore this morning, which could have started from 3:00 a.m.

Sudden Burning Smell in the East of Singapore

Well, first thing first: we’ve asked everyone in the office, and it seems like the smell wasn’t in the North, Northeast and Northwest and West of Singapore. With our office in the west, you can bet that no one lives in the east.

However, there has been some netizens who claimed that the smell had spread to other parts of Singapore later in the day.

In a Straits Times report, residents in the east were complaining about a smell that was “similar” to the haze. The area looked hazy as well, almost like a repeat of the days when N95 were part of our lives.

Netizens mentioned that the affected areas were Simei, Pasir Ris, Tampines and Marine Parade (though there could be more areas).

The 24-hr PSI level in that area was, however, “Good”, though you can clearly see that the east and south of Singapore are way higher than the west.

A 65 PSI value is considered “Moderate”.

In other words, everything seems normal…except the noses of the people living in the east (and some other places?).

Weird Burning Smell That’s Not from Haze Not Uncommon

If you’d have remembered, strong burning smell in certain areas aren’t exactly…uncommon.

And no, it’s not because of the haze, but something else.

Last May, there was a “haze-like” condition and it appeared to stem from domestic sources. A month later, the central of Singapore was hit with a strong burning smell as well for a morning.

And of course we can’t forget the strong “gas” smell that hit parts of Singapore in September 2017, when it was revealed that it was due to an industrial facility in JB as they burned fuel which caused volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

What’s interesting is that in all instances, the authorities immediately checked the air quality in the area after complaints were lodged so as to ensure that there was no chemical leak or any other serious incidents.

And just so you know, people have already informed NEA in the morning.

And NEA Has Responded

NEA has since responded in a statement:

“Our investigations thus far have not detected any local sources of burning or factory upsets that could have contributed to the smell…No sources of transboundary haze were detected in the region.

“We are closely monitoring the air quality, and will provide updates of any further findings or significant change to the air quality situation”