A fire that broke out at 278 River Valley Road on 8 Apr 2025 claimed the life of a 10-year-old Australian girl and injured 21 others, including 16 children aged between 6 and 10.
The quick actions of construction workers who used scaffolding and ladders from a nearby site helped save several children trapped on the third floor of the burning building that houses Tomato Cooking School.
Heroic Rescue Efforts By Construction Workers At River Valley Fire
Construction worker Shakil Mohammad, 35, was working nearby when he heard screams and spotted children standing on the third-floor ledge of the burning shophouse around 9 AM.
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@channelnewsasia Two construction workers who work near the River Valley shophouse that caught fire on Tuesday (Apr 8 ) told CNA how they rescued the children “one by one” by climbing up scaffolding they brought over after hearing people yelling for help. #singapore #sgnews ♬ original sound – CNA
“The children wanted to jump. I told them, ‘Don’t jump! I will help you’,” Mr Shakil told The Straits Times.
He and fellow worker Ramesh Kumar rushed to assist, bringing scaffolding and a step ladder from their construction site to reach the trapped children.
Mr Shakil, who has been working in Singapore since 2018, was the second person on the ladder. Another worker above him grabbed the children and passed them down to him.
“There was one girl, when she was passed to me, her eyes were closed. I held her in my arms, she was not moving,” Mr Shakil recalled.
Despite the intense heat, the workers persisted in their rescue efforts.
“The fire was so hot. But I die, no problem, I just needed to save the children,” Mr Shakil said.
The construction workers managed to save about 10 children from the burning building.
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Mr Shakil became emotional when he mentioned that there were three more children inside whom he couldn’t reach due to the size of the fire.
Mr Dani Rahmat, 25, owner of a nearby barber shop, commended the migrant workers: “I think they were super selfless. What they did was really inspiring.”
A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesperson confirmed they have reached out to the people who helped in the rescue to commend them for their “quick-thinking and prompt efforts.”
They will be presented with the SCDF Community Lifesaver Award.
Casualties And Aftermath Of The River Valley Shophouse Fire
The police and SCDF were alerted to the fire at about 9.45 AM on 8 Apr 2025.
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Among the 22 casualties were six adults aged between 23 and 55, and 16 children aged between six and 10.
The 10-year-old girl who died was confirmed to be an Australian national by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Mr Zainal Zin, who works at a nearby furniture store, described the traumatic scene. “I’ll never forget the look on their faces and I cannot get the scene out of my head,” he said.
He witnessed paramedics performing CPR on a lifeless girl and saw children with severe burns.
“This girl had burns all over her left arm. When she turned around, I saw burns on the left side of her face too,” Mr Zainal recounted.
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Several Indian media outlets reported that seven-year-old Mark Shankar, son of Indian politician Pawan Kalyan, was among those injured.
He sustained injuries to his hands and legs and underwent a bronchoscopy, but doctors said his life is not in danger.
Mr Kalyan thanked the construction workers for their actions and noted that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called to check on his son’s condition.
Tomato Cooking School, which operates cooking lessons and camps for children at the shophouse, expressed their shock in a Facebook post on 9 Apr 2025.
“At this moment, our priority remains the safety and well-being of everyone involved,” the school stated, adding that they were assisting with investigations.
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By 12.50pm on 9 Apr 2025, SCDF officers arrived at the scene for investigations. The area was cordoned off, with several bouquets of flowers left at the site.
This incident marks the fourth fire fatality in 2025, following a January fire in a Hougang flat that claimed three lives.
According to SCDF’s annual statistics, five people died in fires in 2024, up from three in 2023.
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