S'porean man, 63, charged for causing fire in Tampines flat by dropping lit cigarette on bedroom floor

He intends to plead guilty.

Syahindah Ishak | December 12, 2022, 05:05 PM

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A 63-year-old Singaporean man was charged in court on Monday (Dec. 12) for causing a fire in a Tampines HDB unit by dropping a lit cigarette on a bedroom floor that had kerosene on it.

According to charge sheets seen by Mothership, Loh Fu Wah was charged with negligently causing a fire on the 10th floor of Block 941 Tampines Avenue 5 at about 10:29pm on Jan. 28, 2022.

The fire had caused damaged to the unit and the common corridor along the entrance of the unit.

Firefighters from two fire stations were dispatched

In a Facebook post earlier this year, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that the raging fire had "totally engulfed" a two-storey unit on the 10th floor when firefighters arrived at the scene.

Firefighters from Tampines Fire Station and Changi Fire Station were dispatched to the location, and they had to conduct forcible entry to gain access into the unit.

While carrying out firefighting operations within the unit, firefighters also conducted forcible entry into a bedroom on the first storey, where a man was found lying unconscious on the floor.

He was immediately rescued from the burning unit and subsequently assessed by an SCDF ambulance crew, before being conveyed to Changi General Hospital.

The fire, which involved contents of the entire unit, was eventually extinguished with two water jets, SCDF said.

About 180 people from the neighbouring units were evacuated.

He intends to plead guilty

CNA reported that Loh intends to plead guilty.

He will return to court on Jan. 17, 2023.

If found guilty of negligently causing a fire, Loh can be jailed for up to 18 months, fined, or both.

Top images via SCDF/Facebook.