Have you ever seen one of those scenarios in television shows where the protagonists have to choose between jumping out of the window, or bracing through the fire?
More often than not, they will jump out the window and the scene will cut to them in the arms of a strong firefighter.
Here in our little red dot, we have a situation similar to this.
Except, this is not a movie. This is real life.
On Sunday (28 Feb), a fire broke out in an HDB flat in Whampoa, injuring ten people, among them three children.
Before the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) arrived, six people living in the affected unit had managed to escape from the flat.
However, the method of escape that they had to resort to was very much perilous as well.
Couple & Son Had to Jump from Second Storey of Flat to Escape from Whampoa Fire
According to Muhammad Haiqal Zurini, 23, part-time food delivery rider, he was delivering food near his estate when he received a call from his friend telling him that his house had caught fire.
He cycled home quickly to assess the situation and saw his mother under the care of paramedics. She had sprained her ankle after jumping out of the kitchen window in order to escape from the fire breaking out in her home.
According to Haiqal who spoke to 8 World, his mother has asthma, and when she jumped out of the window she sustained injuries to her neck and ankle, as well as some cuts and bruises.
Her husband and one of her sons had also jumped out from the window to escape. They sustained back abrasions and minor burns respectively.
According to The New Paper, Mr Haiqal’s sister and her son managed to escape from the burning flat via the front door, along with one of his brothers.
However, both his parents and another one of his brothers were barred access to the front door because of the fire. Consequently, they were left with no choice but to jump out through the window.
According to the SCDF, preliminary investigation of the cause of the fire points towards electrical origin from the living room of the affected unit.
Lianhe Wanbao reported that a charging laptop had caused the fire to break out.
Lesson to all of us: Do not overcharge our laptops. Stare at it until it become 100%.
Among the ten injured people sent to the hospital, six of them belonged to Mr Haiqal’s family: his mother, stepfather, two younger brothers, his younger sister and her three-month-old baby.
Mr Haiqal’s mother and stepfather were sent to Singapore General Hospital (SGH) while his younger siblings and infant niece were taken to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
The other injured people are residents in the flat above who were affected by smoke inhalation. As a precautionary measure, the SCDF and police evacuated approximately 100 people from the block.
The family thankfully are not in any danger and are well on the road to recovery.
Teenage Son Saved Infant Niece From Fire
According to Mothership, Mr Haiqal’s 18-year-old sister had awakened only to see her house being engulfed in flames. Attempts to extinguish the fire were futile as it had spread throughout the entire flat.
Thankfully, Mr Haiqal’s 16-year-old brother reacted quickly to the danger, carrying his three-month-old niece out of the flat through the front door along with his sister.
Mr Haiqal expressed his gratitude over the fact that his family members are all right and that no one was lost to the fire.
However, he did express concern over the burnt flat, saying he was told that it would take between three to six months for it to be repaired.
He intends to stay with his friend during this immediate period and work out subsequent living arrangements with his mother.
Meanwhile, The Straits Times reported that Member of Parliament for Jalan Besar GRC Heng Chee How said that he has met one of the children from Mr Haiqal’s family and will make efforts to offer them assistance during this period.
He also said that HDB is in touch with families affected by the fire and that they are ready to provide them with flats to live in temporarily should they be in need of a place to stay.
Feature Image: ambrozinio / Shutterstock.com (Image is for illustration purpose only)
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