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A 98-year-old man passed away in the hospital on Mar. 1, two days after falling into a coma as a result of a fire that broke out in his HDB flat at Pasir Ris, reported Shin Min Daily News.

The man sustained first-degree burns, according to his daughter, who spoke to Shin Min on the condition of anonymity.

She added that her 90-year-old mother was also hospitalised and was being placed under medical observation.

What happened

According to Shin Min, the fire broke out at Block 472 at Pasir Ris Drive 6 around 8:30am on Feb. 27.

The source who tipped Shin Min off shared that they saw smoke coming out continuously from a unit at the block, where an elderly couple was believed to be staying at.

When Shin Min arrived at the scene after the fire was put out, the couple's daughter was seen cleaning up the flat.

The woman told Shin Min that her 98-year-old father and 90-year-old mother were inside the unit when the incident took place.

At the time, her parents were getting ready to leave for a care centre when the fire broke out inside her father's room.

She added that her mother also heard the sounds of explosions.

The elderly couple was successfully rescued after their neighbours downstairs notified the authorities, Shin Min reported the woman as saying.

In fact, a mother-son pair even came upstairs and knocked on the couple's door to alert them, she recounted.

Usage of extension cords

The woman also explained that her father would use extension cords to charge home appliances on the table, including lamps, tablets, and fans.

However, due to his advanced age and reduced mobility, her father could not put out the fire by himself.

As a result, the elderly man suffered first-degree burns and fell into a coma, according to Shin Min.

His daughter also informed Shin Min that he was later hospitalised in the intensive care unit (ICU) at the Singapore General Hospital where he had to rely on a ventilator to sustain his life.

His wife was hospitalised at Changi General Hospital and was being placed under medical observation.

Elderly man passed away

Unfortunately, after spending two days at the hospital, the elderly man eventually succumbed to his injuries and passed away on Mar. 1, reported Shin Min.

His two children visited the mortuary of the hospital on Mar. 2 morning to go through the formalities of collecting his body.

The son told Shin Min that he never thought his father would pass away because of the fire.

As for their mother, the siblings only said she was doing "Okay" and did not comment further.

SCDF response

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to a fire at Block 472 Pasir Ris Drive 6 on Feb. 27 at about 8:45am.

The fire involved contents of a bedroom unit on the twelfth floor.

SCDF carried out a forced entry into the unit and extinguished the fire using a compressed air foam backpack.

SCDF rescued two persons from the unit, who were conveyed to Changi General Hospital due to smoke inhalation.

About 20 people self-evacuated prior to the arrival of SCDF.

Preliminary investigations into the cause of fire indicated that it was of electrical origin.

Room covered in soot

According to Shin Min, a pile of items could be found in the room where the fire first broke out.

Soot could be seen on the wall and the ceiling, and the items on the table appeared melted as a result of the heat.

Top images via Shin Min Daily News