Fire engulfs terrace house at Sing Avenue, witness reports seeing sparks "like fireworks"

A fire broke out in a terrace house at 82 Sing Avenue at about 8.55pm on Friday night (July 6). 

Stomper Donovan, who stays along Sing Avenue, received a video of the fire taken by his brother which he later forwarded to Stomp. 

Said Donovan:

“They told me it happened at around 9pm.

“At the time, my parents and brother were home.”

Stomper Chin was also in the vicinity and took a photo which he sent to Stomp. 

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said on its Facebook page that it responded to the fire at 82 Sing Avenue at about 8.55pm, citing that the “raging fire had engulfed the entire house” upon their arrival.

Fourteen firefighting and support vehicles were dispatched during the operation. 

The fire was brought under control at about 10pm by the SCDF using seven water jets.  It was extinguished at about 10.45pm, after which damping down operations proceeded. 

According to SCDF’s Facebook post, the process of damping down involves wetting burnt surfaces after a fire is put out to prevent chances of a fire rekindling on the hot surfaces. 

There were no reported injuries. The occupants of the house had self-evacuated before the SCDF arrived at the scene.

An elderly couple, their son, and at least three Indian nationals tenants lived in the affected house, reports The Straits Times

Neighbours said the couple worked as cleaners in Singapore General Hospital (SGH). Their son told The Straits Times that he had heard a loud boom while he and his parents were in their rooms upstairs. 

They rushed down to see that the living area in the house had caught fire.

Said the man who declined to be named:

“The room then filled with smoke and we had to come out.”

A neighbour who also declined to be named said that he had heard an explosion while he was watching television. He went out to investigate and saw that the unit nearby had caught fire. 

He described seeing sparks “like fireworks”, adding:

“The fire rose to about two storeys and in twenty minutes about 75 per cent of the house was burnt down.”

Reporters also spotted Jalan Besar GRC MP Denise Phua at the scene. When interviewed, she said:

“Thanks to the frontliners - the Singapore Civil Defence Force, the police - the fire has been put out and they are making sure everything is okay. There are no casualties as far as we know.”

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