Man who died in Potong Pasir blaze was 'kind and righteous'
A 44-year-old man died in a fire that broke out outside a Housing Board flat in Potong Pasir on Aug 28.
In response to queries, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the fire at about 6.45am.
The police said the man was found lying motionless outside a unit at Block 107 Potong Pasir Avenue 1.
Passers-by helped to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher before SCDF firefighters arrived and paramedics found the dead man, an SCDF spokesperson said.
At about 10am, when The Straits Times arrived, at least three police cars and one police van were parked at the carpark near the block.
A few police officers were seen standing outside the flat. White sheets had been put up along the corridor.
Police officers and staff from a casket company were seen carrying the body into a lift on the eighth floor at about 12.40pm.
Speaking to reporters outside the flat, the victim’s brother said the deceased’s name was Lim Min Lee.
The brother, who identified himself only as Mr Lim, 45, said he received a call at about 9am from his cousin, who told him that his brother had died. The cousin, who lived with the victim, added that police officers were at the flat.
Mr Lim said he later learnt from a friend that his brother had returned home early on the morning of Aug 28.
Describing his brother as a kind and righteous person, Mr Lim said he was also very loyal to his friends, and was a man who “enjoyed every moment and was carefree”.
Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao reported that the charred body of a man was found outside the unit on the eighth floor.
A neighbour said she woke up at about 6am when she heard screams that sounded like a person was in severe pain, but she did not hear the person shouting for help, Zaobao reported.
“My room is close to the corridor, so I could hear it clearly. I thought it was a funeral on the ground floor of the HDB block, and someone was crying out of grief,” the report quoted her as saying.
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