60-year-old man killed in Whampoa fire
A 60-year-old man has died after a fire broke out in a Whampoa Housing Board flat in the early hours of May 6.
In a Facebook post later on May 6, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the incident at Block 76 Lorong Limau at around 2.30am.
The fire was seen “raging” inside a unit on the sixth storey and firefighters had to force their way in, said SCDF.
One person was pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic after being found inside one of the bedrooms. Two others were rescued by firefighters from the utility room in the kitchen area and were subsequently taken to Singapore General Hospital, said SCDF.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, the police said the dead person was a 60-year-old man, and the two people taken to the hospital were women aged 60 and 77.
The two people taken to the hospital were family members of the man, said MP for Jalan Besar GRC Heng Chee How, in a follow-up Facebook post.
“The community organisations are working closely with HDB and the town council to render assistance and support to the affected families,” said Mr Heng. “We will come through this together.”
Firefighters from the Central Fire Station and Bishan Fire Station used two water jets to extinguish the fire, which had affected the entire unit, said SCDF.
Around 200 people from neighbouring units were evacuated by the police and SCDF as a precautionary measure, said the force.
The police said they do not suspect foul play based on preliminary investigations, and that investigations are ongoing.
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