Tugboat in West Coast Caught Fire; 8 Taken to SGH for Smoke Inhalation

Typically, when firefighters are called in to put out a blaze here in Singapore, it’s in a house, a building, or on the road after a crash.

Yesterday, however, a fire broke out on a sea vessel.

Tugboat in West Coast Caught Fire; 8 Taken to SGH for Smoke Inhalation

A tugboat berthed at 70 West Coast Ferry Road caught fire yesterday at around 4.40pm.

When the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) arrived at the scene, they found that the source of the fire was in the engine room.

A water jet was quickly set up to put out the blaze, which took around 20 minutes.

“A key consideration was not to apply too much water that could affect the stability of the tugboat,” SCDF said.

The 8 people on board had already been evacuated by the time firefighters from Clementi Fire Station and West Coast Marine Fire Station arrived.

All 8 were taken to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) for smoke inhalation and burn injuries.

According to SGH, 6 of them have since been discharged. The other two are still in the hospital.

Two Fires Reported in HDB Flats in One Week

Earlier this month, two separate fires were reported in HDB flats.

One broke out at Block 395 in Tampines Avenue 7 on the morning of 3 July.

When the SCDF arrived, they found a ‘smoke-logged’ unit on the 10th floor. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus forced their way into the unit and rescued an occupant through the window of the affected flat.

The occupant was assessed by a paramedic and declined to be taken to the hospital.

The fire was eventually extinguished with a water jet.

40 occupants of flats on the 9th to the 12th floor were also evacuated by the police as a precautionary measure.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The other fire erupted at Block 141 in Yishun Ring Road a few days earlier, and 100 residents of the block had self-evacuated before the SCDF arrived.

10 people, including a police officer, were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.

The fire, which affected four flats, was so severe that it spread to the master bedrooms of the third-, fourth- and fifth-floor units.

The occupants of the four units have since been given shelter at Chong Pang Community Centre. HDB will soon provide them with temporary housing.

According to Nee Soon GRC MP K. Shanmugam, the fire started in a unit with an old woman.

“We have an ageing population and fire accidents, I think we need to be careful about that,” the Law Minister said.

Featured Image: Facebook (Singapore Civil Defence Force)