If there’s one thing that our education system failed us spectacularly, it’s teaching us crucial and practical skills that we might use in real life…
…like how to do our taxes, or manage our finances responsibly…
Or in this specific case, how to extinguish a kitchen fire.
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After all, no one is so “free” to go visit the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) website just to learn about fire safety.
But of course, when a fire actually happens, there’s definitely no more time to go and look things up on the internet.
A Valiant Fire Rescue
On 7 August at around 2:15pm, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to a fire at a coffee shop at Block 823A on Tampines Street 81.
When they arrived at the scene, the fire is well on its way to completely consume the coffee shop.
@singaporeatriumsaleFire at Blk 823 Tampines St 81 ##tampines ##tampinesst81 ##tiktoksg ##fyp
Some witnesses also told the reporter from CNA that they heard several loud bangs at around 2:20pm.
Considering that this is a coffee shop we’re talking about here, it’s likely that those bangs were from gas tanks exploding.
There were even some members of the public who were trying to control the fire with hose reels.
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From the flames seen in the photos and videos captured at the scene, it’s probably like squirting water from a water gun into a furnace fire and expecting it to go out.
The SCDF arrived soon after.
With four powerful water jets on their side, the SCDF managed to extinguish the fire within an hour.
They proceeded with damping down operations after extinguishing the fire as a precaution.
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It is usually done to prevent any hot burnt surfaces from potentially rekindling a new fire.
Luckily, no one was hurt as all the stall owners and assistants and patrons have evacuated.
Tampines Coffee Shop Burned Black After Assistant Used Water to Put Out Grease Fire
Although the fire is technically still under investigation, from various eyewitness accounts, it’s obvious where the fire originated from and how it turned from a baby fire into the monstrosity that charred an entire coffee shop.
As told to the reporter from Lian He Zao Bao, the 50-year-old chicken rice stall assistant, Mr Chen, said that the fire started from the fish soup stall located in the middle of the shop.
He saw the assistant at the stall trying to stop a grease fire by splashing water on it.
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In case you’re unaware, you should not throw water into a grease fire for it will worsen the situation.
PSA: Never Pour Water on a Grease Fire
“Well…” *putting your hands on your hips* “… what should I do then?”
According to the SCDF website, for kitchen fires, you should firstly turn off the gas supply, or in the case of electric stoves or induction cookers, turn off the power supply.
Then, you can use a dry powder fire extinguisher to extinguish the fire.
If not, you can try to cover the cookware that’s on fire with a lid or a large damp towel.
If all firefighting efforts failed, quickly evacuate yourself and anybody nearby before calling the SCDF for help by dialling 995.
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Featured Image: Facebook (SCDF); TikTok (sgpokegodandy)
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