Everything You Need To Know About The Massive Fire At A Toa Payoh HDB Block Early This Morning

On 29 Aug, residents in the Toa Payoh area witnessed a strange sight.

A blazing fire in the middle of an HDB block.

The building the fire was at is a high-rise building near Toa Payoh Central, Lorong 1A.

According to residents, they could hear loud noises coming from the affected estate but did not know the cause of the fire.

300 Residents Evacuated, 3 People Sent To The Hospital

In a Facebook update, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that they were alerted to the incident at 2.55am.

Yes, close to 3am; a timing where even the cats in Yishun are sleeping and dreaming of salmon.

The fire happened in a unit located on the 20th floor of Block 138C Lorong 1A Toa Payoh.

Two people were rescued by the SCDF from the bathroom of the unit. At the point of the incident, there were three people in the unit but one had managed to self-evacuate.

All three of them were sent to the hospital; two with smoke inhalation and one with burn injuries and smoke inhalation.

300 people were evacuated by the Police from neighbouring units.

Another Unit Affected

The blaze within the 20th-storey unit grew so big it spread to the unit above it.

While firefighters were putting out the fire in the original unit, another team of firefighters broke down the door of the unit above to start putting out the fire.

The residents staying within the unit has already self-evacuated.

SCDF is currently investigating the cause of the fire.

All residents who were evacuated have returned to their homes as well.

MP Thanked Neighbours For Coming Together

Member of Parliament of the area, Mr Chee Hong Tat took to Facebook to express his gratitude to residents within the estate.

He said that if not for the residents who alerted their neighbours and called SCDF last night, things could’ve been much worse.

He also gave an update to the incident and shared that the 3 occupants who were sent to the hospital have been hospitalised for minor burns and smoke inhalation.

He also thanked the SCDF firefighters for putting out the fire and keeping everyone safe and emphasised the importance of fire safety and evacuation procedures.

This, he says, is the reason why residents must keep common corridors and stairwells clutter-free.