Punggol Residents Went Through a 17-Hour Blackout after a Ground Wire Was Stolen

It isn’t enough for some people to steal manhole covers; copper wires are apparently the next hottest thing to steal.

But of all the wires the thief could steal, they had to grab the ground wire from the electric boxes at an apartment block.

This caused an electrical fire when the boxes experienced an overload, resulting in a massive blackout that lasted a whopping 17 hours!

Punggol Residents Went Through a 17-Hour Blackout Due to a Fire Caused by an Electric Overload

On 12 August 2021 at around 2:30am, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to several small fires that had erupted from the electric boxes on the fourth and fifth floors of Block 259A at Punggol Field.

The firefighters used fire extinguishers to extinguish the fire, and thankfully, no one was injured.

As told to the reporter from Lian He Wan Bao, 55-year-old Mr Zuo, who lives on the fourth floor, said that he decided to wake up and check the power supply when the aircon suddenly stopped working.

Then, he smelled something burning that’s coming from the outside so he opened the door.

Only did he realised that the electric box is on fire, when he saw the firefighters outside.

But oddly enough, he didn’t see any flames, he added.

According to the SCDF, the fire started from the electric boxes on the fourth and fifth floors.

The fire caused a blackout from the second floor to the 17th floor, involving the two units closest to the staircase.

The reporter sent by Lian He Wan Bao to the field discovered that the electric boxes on the fourth and fifth floors were charred black, while the boxes on the sixth and seventh floors showed black burn marks.

He also found out that ground wire for several floors at this apartment block had been stolen.

Due to this, it’s likely that an electrical overload occurred, igniting a fire.

The safety features then kicked in, causing the power to be cut off, resulting in a blackout.

Power was Restored After 17 Hours; Investigation into the Fire is Ongoing

Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council revealed that, at the moment, it is suspected that someone might have stolen some parts from the electric boxes which caused the fire, and subsequently, the blackout.

They have informed the police of their suspicions and as the investigation is currently ongoing, they weren’t able to provide any more details about the case.

That being said, once the town council realised what happened, assistance was immediately provided to the residents of the block.

They promptly restored power to all affected units at around 7:30 pm the same day.

That’s a full 17 hours!

Around 50% of the power had actually been restored by 6:00pm but for the remaining 50% of the units, they were more badly affected.

Plus, the staff had to go floor by floor to examine the electric boxes to ensure that they were indeed safe before turning them on again.

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