AMK coffee shop fire allegedly caused by unattended cooking
The stalls in the coffee shop at Block 407 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 were destroyed after a fire broke out at about 2.40am on June11.
The rest of the coffee shop had sustained considerable heat and smoke damage, according to the Singapore Civil Defence Force.
Residents living on the floor above the coffee shop were evacuated as a safety precaution.
Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is also the MP for Ang Mo Kio, shared in a Facebook post that the fire did not spread to the wet market and food centre next door. He added that the coffee shop owner has fire insurance.
"This incident reminds us that even after the compulsory insurance period, we must continue to purchase insurance for our homes so that we can get some protection and help when encountering similar situations. If you run a wet market or a cooked food stall, remember to purchase fire insurance," he advised.
Lianhe Zaobao reported that the fire was allegedly caused by unattended cooking. Stall owners said that only the mixed rice and drinks stalls in the coffee shop were open 24 hours a day, and it was believed that the mixed rice stallowner was cooking when the fire broke out.
Drinks stall worker Sun Yu, 31, told the Chinese daily the hood of the mixed rice stall had caught fire and the workers tried to put out the fire but failed.
"The losses are difficult to estimate. We can send only the raw materials and sauces that can still be used to other branches. We don't know how many days we will have to suspend business," said the mixed rice stall manager Huang Youhui, 46.
Many residents were unaware of the fire before they arrived at the coffee shop to buy breakfast.
A resident living on the level above the coffee shop said his floor was still hot at 1pm. His floor tiles popped and the water pipes were severely damaged.
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