Claiming he saw bed bugs on his bed, a Singaporean man set his mattress on fire to kill them.
But the fire soon spread and engulfed his flat on the 10th storey of Block 39 Telok Blangah Rise, eventually causing the death of a domestic helper staying a floor above.
Chia Gek Yong, a 73-year-old Singaporean, admitted on Wednesday (Aug. 16) to causing the death of Koimatun Achmad Ali, 48, by committing a rash act.
According to court documents seen by Mothership, there were four other occupants in Chia's flat when the incident occurred. The identities of these occupants were not disclosed.
Koimatun resided in a unit on the floor above Chia. At the time, she was in the unit alone as her employers were overseas.
Court documents also stated that Chia has a history of bipolar disorder.
What happened
Claimed he saw bed bugs and wanted to kill them
On Jan. 29, 2022, between about 4am and 4:38 am, Chia woke up and claimed to have seen bed bugs on his bed in the living room.
Chia took multiple insecticide cans and sprayed the insecticide on his bed, intending to kill the insects. Believing the bed bugs were still alive, Chia then used multiple flammable lighters to set his mattress on fire.
The fire, however, started spreading, and Chia's attempts to douse the flames by using several water bottles were futile.
He subsequently left the unit while the other four occupants were still asleep inside the flat. They were only awoken by the smoke from the fire and quickly evacuated the unit.
One of them went to a nearby coffeeshop to retrieve an extinguisher. His attempt to put out the fire with the extinguisher was unsuccessful as the fire was starting to engulf the entire unit.
Fire was spreading as authorities arrived at the scene
The police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) were alerted to the fire at around 4:40am.
They arrived at the scene at about 4:48am, and the fire-fighting operation commenced immediately. At the same time, police and SCDF officers started evacuating the entire block.
Officers had to carefully evacuate the residents as most of them were senior citizens. There was also only one staircase point in the block from which the evacuation could be done, and lifts can't be used during a fire evacuation.
SCDF officers noticed that Chia's flat had various hoarded items which contributed to the spreading fire. There was also a gas leak in the flat. SCDF officers had to ensure that the gas valve was turned off while fighting the fire.
He was detained and arrested after admitting to a police officer
Various members of the public and residents, including Chia, had gathered to watch the incident unfold.
The police had to ensure that those who were in the 10th floor unit were all accounted for, so a police officer called out Chia's name, and Chia identified himself.
It was then that Chia admitted that he started the fire as he wanted to kill bed bugs.
Chia was detained and arrested on the same day.
Victim was alive when taken to hospital, but later passed away
As the fire-fighting efforts continued, the smoke from the fire got thicker and it infiltrated a unit on the 11th floor.
SCDF brought the fire under control at about 5:57am. Whilst still ensuring that every resident in the block was evacuated, SCDF officers found that the 11th floor unit was locked.
Officers forced entry into the unit after being informed that there was an occupant inside who was not accounted for. At about 6:35am, SCDF officers found Koimatun unconscious inside the flat. She also had breathing difficulties.
Koimatun was alive when she was conveyed to hospital, but she later passed away that same night.
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA)'s autopsy report stated that her cause of death was due to smoke inhalation.
He suffers from bipolar disorder
According to court documents, Chia suffered a relapse of his bipolar disorder at the time of the offence.
He experienced symptoms of grandiosity, involvement in activity that had dangerous consequences, flight of ideas, reduced sleep, and increased energy levels.
Chia had been seeking treatment from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) prior to the offence.
An IMH report stated that his mental disorder had a contributory link to his offence.
While Chia's actions had lead to the death of the victim and resulted in potential harm to various residents of the block, the prosecution noted that he was "clearly labouring under a mental disorder".
The court had called for a report to assess Chia's suitability for a mandatory treatment order (MTO). Under an MTO, an offender will receive psychiatric treatment in lieu of jail time.
As reported by The Straits Times, the defence lawyer said that Chia is aware of the seriousness of his actions and is remorseful.
Chia is expected to be sentenced on Sep. 11, 2023.
Top images courtesy of Chen & via SCDF/Facebook.