News

NSF Who Died Fighting Fire is 19 Years Old; Household Apologises to Family of NSF

2022-12-09 , 8:16 pm

AN NSF lost his life on active duty fighting a fire.

And he was only 19 years old.

Here’s how it happened.

A Blaze at Henderson Road

On Thursday (8 Dec), the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to a fire at Block 91 Henderson Road at about 11:10 am.

The next thing they knew, a 19-year-old NSF firefighter fell unconscious while putting out the fire.

CPR was attempted on the 19-year-old before sending him to the Singapore General Hospital.

He died at the hospital.

The SCDF shared that a fire was raging from a unit on the fourth floor when they arrived at the scene. They had to make their way through the smoke-filled corridor and forcibly enter the unit to extinguish the fire.

In the process, the 19-year-old NSF fell unconscious in the unit’s kitchen area.

Investigations are currently ongoing.

Household Apologises to Family of NSF

The household living in the unit, which was ablaze, has since apologised to the family of the NSF firefighter.

There were three people in the unit when the fire broke out—Mr Muhammad Azri Ramlan, his wife Sri Ayshah Putri Jamari and her 13-year-old sister.

“On behalf of my family, I would like to say sorry to his family for their loss,” said Mr Azri.

Mr Azri, 21, is currently on medical leave from national service due to a fever from his booster jab.

Sympathising with the deceased, Mr Azri adds that he is also an NSF and is currently waiting for his national service posting.

Smoke and Thick Fumes

Other than the three people in the two-room rental flat when the unit suddenly lit ablaze, four others lived in the same unit.

The four others who were fortunately not in the unit when the fire broke out included the couple’s seven-month-old baby, Ms Ayshah’s 16-year-old brother, and her parents.

Ms Ayshah’s parents were out at work while the couple’s seven-month-old baby was at an infant care centre.

Indeed, a close call.

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The couple was sleeping in their bedroom when the pungent smell of smoke woke them up.

Upon waking up, they saw their bedroom quickly engulfed by flames. Mr Azri grabbed his spouse and her 13-year-old sister and made a break for the front gate.

However, once they reached the front gate, the trio realised that none of them had a key. Mr Azri ran back into their bedroom to retrieve his key before the three finally managed to run out of their unit.

Image: Facebook (Shin Min Daily News 新明日报)

They then alerted their neighbours about the fire and contacted the police.

Only Managed to Take Baby’s Pram

Mr Azri’s family has since been moved into another flat on the 10th floor of the same block.

On Friday (9 Dec), they returned to their charred home to retrieve whatever items they could.

Unfortunately, the family only managed to retrieve their baby’s pram, with their remaining items, including their essential documents, lost to the blaze.

Clean-up and repair works, including wiring and clearing of burnt debris, are currently ongoing.

Community and grassroots volunteers are also working to support the affected parties.

Netizens’ Responses

When news of the NSF’s death broke out, an online uproar was quickly triggered.

While expressing their condolences for the deceased, many netizens demanded an inquiry into the case and how such incidents could be prevented in the future.

Other netizens also shared their experiences when they were part of the SCDF, shedding light on the true nature of the mentally taxing work done by those in the force.

Many Singaporeans also spoke up to show their appreciation for the NSFs, especially those from the SCDF and SPF.