Unattended cooking likely caused fire at Newton Food Centre hawker stall, 2 taken to hospital

Ian Cheng
The Straits Times
March 25, 2024

Two people were taken to hospital after a hawker stall in Newton Food Centre caught fire on March 24.

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Early investigations suggest that the fire was caused when food that was being cooked in the stall was left unattended, said a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesman, in response to queries.

He added that the two people taken to the Singapore General Hospital were believed to be suffering from smoke inhalation.

The hawker centre, popular with tourists and Singaporeans from all walks of life, can be seen filled with thick smoke, in photographs taken by Tiong Bahru Durian Desserts stallholder S.W. Long and sent to The Straits Times.

SCDF firefighting vehicles can also be seen outside the food centre.

SCDF said it was alerted to a fire at 500 Clemenceau Avenue North – the address of the food centre – at about 9.30pm.

The fire involved the kitchen exhaust duct in the stall, the spokesman said.

In March 2019, a fire that broke out at Newton Food Centre’s electrical switch room caused stall closures and a 12-hour power outage.