Singapore: 58-Year-Old Man Arrested After Blaze Forces Evacuation of 50 at Chai Chee HDB; 4 Sent to Hospital

A 58-year-old man was arrested for allegedly causing a fire to break out at an HDB block in Chai Chee Avenue on Sept 5, resulting in four people being taken to hospital and prompting the evacuation of about 50 residents.

The Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to a fire at Block 31 Chai Chee Avenue at about 11.05pm.

“The living room of an eighth-floor unit was on fire,” SCDF added.

It said that it extinguished the fire with a water jet, and that there was no one inside the flat.

In response to media queries on Sept 7, the police said the 58-year-old man was arrested for “causing or contributing to risk of dangerous fire”.

They added that four men, aged between 20 and 78, were taken to hospital. They were all conscious.

Three people from neighboring flats were assessed for smoke inhalation. Two of them were taken to Changi General Hospital, and the third to Singapore General Hospital (SGH).

A firefighter was also assessed for smoke inhalation and taken to SGH.

“About 50 people from the affected block were evacuated by the police and SCDF as a precautionary measure,” the SCDF said, adding that the cause of the fire is being investigated.

Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong in a Facebook post on Sept 6 said he visited the site where the fire broke out. He said he went there “to check on our residents, thank the team of volunteers and officers, and to assess next steps”.

Noting that the affected residents have been placed in temporary accommodation, Mr Tong, who is also an East Coast GRC MP, said the East Coast Town Council team is working with HDB officers to restore power and progressively reinstate the common corridor to its original form over the next few days.

Fellow East Coast GRC MP Tan Kiat How thanked the SCDF, East Coast Town Council and grassroots volunteers for assisting affected residents.

He said they had opened up the Residents’ Network center for seniors to rest, provided drinks and snacks, and assisted residents with mobility challenges.

“TC (town council) team was also on hand to restore electricity and water to affected units, and are helping to clean up the common spaces,” he said. “We will also repaint the facade of the building.”

Mr Tan added that temporary accommodation has been arranged for residents whose flats are badly affected.