Neighbour saves Yishun tenant who stayed in burning flat to rescue maid and baby, who weren't there

After a flat at Yishun Ring Road caught fire yesterday (Mar 21) at around 12am, a tenant, thinking that the landlord’s maid and baby were still sleeping, stayed behind and attempted to wake them up, hammering the door and shouting.

A neighbour who witnessed the situation was forced to run into the burning flat to extract the tenant instead, reports Lianhe Wanbao. 

The unit on fire was a 2nd storey 4-room flat at Block 816, Yishun Ring Road.

A few youths who were in the vicinity first discovered the fire.

They started shouting to warn the neighbourhood, while running towards the burning unit  to render assistance.

The din they created managed to stir several residents, including a 38-year-old resident, her husband, and her 32-year-old nephew who were staying on the 6th storey, 

The trio went over to the windows to take a look, and realised that a unit below had caught fire, emitting thick billows of smoke.

The three of them quickly headed downstairs to see if they could help. 

When they reached level two, they peered into the house and realised that the circuit breaker in flames, but a man in his twenties was still in the living room shouting. 

Seeing the roaring flames, the resident quickly dialled for the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), while her husband and nephew ran in to extract the man.

After the incident, the man told them that he was a tenant in the house, which consisted of the landlord, his wife, the couple's baby and the house maid. 

He had thought that the maid and baby were sleeping in one of the rooms. 

Hence, he wanted to wake them up and get them to safety.  

Said the resident:

“He(the tenant) was shaken and crying after my husband and nephew pulled him out.

“After we asked him, he told us that the house owner’s baby and maid were still inside.

“He had stayed behind in the burning house to try and wake the maid and baby whom he thought were sleeping inside the room.”

After the man calmed down gradually, the resident made a call to the owner of the house and confirmed that both were not at home when the conflagration struck.

The SCDF told reporters that they dispatched a fire engine, an ambulance, two Red Rhinos and two fire bikes, as well as two support vehicles to the scene.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. 

This is the second fire in the block within the span of a week.

Last Wednesday (Mar 15), a black bin started burning for reasons unknown, and residents, including the elderly, came together to extinguish the flame. 

When the flat started burning this time round, more than 10 residents chipped in and assisted the police and SCDF with evacuating the affect parties. 

Another resident snapped a picture of the scene, telling reporters that she was touched by the neighbourhood's ‘Kampung spirit’. 

No one was injured in the incident.