One quick-thinking young man recently helped save the day when he put out a fire at Our Tampines Hub.

His actions have even been praised on Singapore Civil Defence Force's (SCDF) Facebook page.

Was passing through when he noticed thick smoke

Muhammad Nur Aqil Bin Ismail is a full-time National Serviceman training at the Civil Defence Academy.

SCDF told Mothership that Aqil is only 19.

The SCDF trainee happened to be passing through Tampines Hub's hawker centre when he noticed thick smoke emitting from one of the stalls.

A man was reportedly attempting to put out the fire inside the stall.

Equipped with basic training and firefighting knowledge, Aqil dashed to the nearest fire extinguishing cabinet, and used his hand to smash the break-glass panel.

He used the key to unlock the cabinet and retrieve the fire extinguisher.

Aqil managed to quickly and successfully put out the fire completely on his own.

Shed blood

It was only after the fire had been doused that the young man realised his hand was bleeding from smashing the cabinet's glass panel.

His wound was tended to by an SCDF paramedic before he was conveyed to a hospital for further medical treatment.

Aqil said he felt it was "his duty to help".

"Our instructor told us that once we're enlisted, it doesn't matter if we're on duty or not, we are always on standby every day to respond to such emergencies."

SCDF applauded his actions, saying he "truly exemplified SCDF's core values of pride and care".

Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat commended Aqil on Facebook as well, thanking him for putting out the fire.

Heng also reminded Singaporeans to remain vigilant and look out for one another.