21-8-2024 (SINGAPORE) A kitchen fire that broke out on the 18th floor of Great World Serviced Apartments in River Valley on 21 August led to the evacuation of approximately 150 residents and sent two individuals to hospital. The incident, which occurred at around 4:50 pm, prompted a swift response from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
Firefighters successfully extinguished the blaze using a water jet, containing the damage primarily to the kitchen area. However, the rest of the affected unit suffered heat and soot damage. Fortunately, the apartment was unoccupied at the time of the fire.
Two residents from neighbouring units required medical attention for smoke inhalation and were subsequently transported to Singapore General Hospital for further assessment and treatment. The SCDF reported that about 150 occupants had already evacuated the building prior to their arrival, demonstrating the effectiveness of the apartment complex’s emergency protocols.
Preliminary investigations suggest that unattended cooking was the likely cause of the fire. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the dangers associated with leaving cooking unattended, even for brief periods. The SCDF took the opportunity to reiterate its safety message, urging residents to remain vigilant in the kitchen.
This event comes in the wake of the SCDF’s annual statistics report released in February, which highlighted a concerning trend in fire incidents across Singapore. The report revealed a total of 1,954 fire cases in 2023, marking an 8.6 per cent increase from the previous year’s 1,799 cases. Notably, electrical fires and unattended cooking emerged as the top two causes, accounting for 597 and 456 cases respectively.
