Bedroom fire in Punggol Drive flat: 'Our team is supporting the affected family,' says MP

About 55 people evacuated when a flat at Block 641A, Punggol Drive caught fire on Saturday morning (Feb 25).

Stomper Hana shared a video showing smoke billowing out of a second-storey window of the block as people gathered below. A fire engine can also be seen.

In response to a Stomp query, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to a fire at about 11.10 am.

"The fire involved the contents of a bedroom in a second-floor unit. SCDF extinguished the fire using a water jet. About 55 people from the affected block self-evacuated prior to the arrival of SCDF."

There were no reported injuries, added SCDF.

@zaobaosg 榜鹅通道组屋二楼一个五房式单位2月25日早上发生火患，卧室窗口冒出熊熊烈火，楼上单位的外墙也被熏黑。失火单位的屋主是马来苏丹王室后裔。#zaobaosg #sgnews #Punggol #fire #SCDF #breakingnews #rescue #榜鹅 #组屋 #火灾 ♬ original sound - zaobaosg

The owner of the flat told Lianhe Zaobao he was not home at the time, but his 90-year-old father-in-law was in the room when the fire broke out.

The owner's brother said: "We tried to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher, but the fire was too big and the smoke kept coming out. We couldn't put out the fire even after we used up a fire extinguisher."

The brothers are descendants of the first Sultan of Singapore in the 19th century, according to Lianhe Zaobao.

MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, Ms Yeo Wan Ling, posted about the fire on her social media and said: "Our team is supporting the affected family."

She added that SCDF and police are investigating the cause of the fire.

SCDF said that preliminary investigation into the cause of the fire indicates that it was of electrical origin.

You are reminded to adopt some good practices in the household to prevent electrical fires from occurring:

• Never overload electrical outlets with electrical appliances.
• Always switch off appliances when they are not in use.
• Check the condition of wires regularly. Frayed wires or cracked cords should be replaced or repaired immediately.
• Do not run wires under carpets or mats and keep wires away from hot surfaces.
• Use appliances and electrical plugs bearing the Safety Mark. The categories of appliances can be found at www.consumerproductsafety.gov.sg
• Do not leave batteries or devices to charge unattended for an extended period of time or overnight.