Everything About the Marsiling HDB Fire That Burned a P6 Student Textbooks to Ashes 1 Week before PSLE

If a fire broke out in your house, what would you try to save?

Most would answer “my loved ones” while looking surreptitiously at their smartphone and tablet.

Of course, there’s no time to think when such an event occurs, as a few seconds of indecision can literally be the difference between life and death.

So, if such a thing were to occur, you’d instinctively reach for the thing that matters to you most.

And for the unfortunate owner of an apartment in Marsiling which caught fire recently, it was his kittens that he attempted to save.

Everything About the Marsiling HDB Fire That Burned a P6 Student Textbooks to Ashes 1 Week before PSLE

On Thursday evening (23 Sep), a fire broke out at a unit at Block 13 Marsiling Lane.

At the time, five people were in the flat – three of the flat owner’s children and two of their friends.

Fortunately, they ran out immediately and managed to escape unharmed.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and police were alerted to the fire, and they quickly evacuated around 80 residents from the building.

The police also cordoned off the lift on the affected floor.

The SCDF managed to put out the blaze, but the flat sustained extensive damage.

One of the unfortunate occupants, a Primary 6 student, had all his textbooks and notes burnt in the blaze just days before the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) was scheduled to begin.

But that wasn’t the most valuable thing in the flat.

Owner Rushed Into Burning Flat to Save Kitten

At the time of the fire, the owner of the flat was out buying food for his cats.

When he returned and discovered that his home was ablaze, he rushed into the burning flat to save his two kittens.

He could only find one of them – hiding under the sofa – and ran out of the flat with it.

Thankfully, the SCDF managed to save the other kitten, at the request of the owner.

No injuries were reported.

HDB Provided Interim Housing For Family 

Though it’s been established that the fire started in the owner’s daughter’s room, the cause of the blaze remains unclear.

Family members often charged their phones in the room, which contained an indoor exercise bike, shoes, and shoe boxes.

Due to the substantial damage to the house, it became uninhabitable for the family. They stayed at the residents’ committee centre on the first night, and are now staying in interim housing provided by HDB while their unit is being restored.

Hearing of their plight, some generous members of the community donated household necessities and cleaning equipment.

The family is still in want of several basic electrical appliances, so if you wish to help them out, you can contact the Zone 2 RN Centre from 1-6pm.

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Featured Image: Facebook (Zaqy Mohamad)