Portable vehicle jumpstarter sparks fire in Sengkang flat, 1 taken to hospital

A fire broke out in a flat at Block 295C Compassvale Crescent in Sengkang on Monday afternoon (July 19).

The Singapore Civil Defence responded to the fire at around 2.50pm, it said in a Facebook post.

The fire involved the contents of a living room of a unit on the sixth floor.

Two occupants from the affected unit had evacuated prior to SCDF's arrival.

Upon SCDF's arrival, dense black smoke was seen coming out of the affected unit.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus sets extinguished the fire with a water jet.

The entire unit was damaged by heat and smoke.

About 30 residents of the affected block were evacuated by the police as a precautionary measure.

SCDF assessed the two occupants from the affected unit. One of them was taken to Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation.

"Preliminary investigation into the cause of the fire indicates that it was of electrical origin, from a portable vehicle jumpstarter that was being charged at the time of the fire," SCDF added.