A tenant from China resorted to sleeping in a charred and burned HDB flat after the unit she rented caught fire and left her stranded with nowhere else to turn to.

The unit that caught fire is located on the 15th storey of Block 463 Crawford Lane.

The fire occurred on Dec. 11, at around 11.50pm, triggering an evacuation of 35 residents from the block.

There were no reported injuries.

Even though the fire occured late at night, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that there were no occupants inside the flat at the time of the fire.

Women chose to stay in the charred apartment

The morning after the fire, reporters from Shin Min Daily News visited the unit and found two tenants resting in one of the bedrooms, while repairs were being made in the hallway and living room where the fire was contained.

One of the tenants, Chen, told Shin Min Daily News that she came from China half a month ago to become a nightclub singer. She rented one bedroom in the Crawford Lane flat with a roommate.

On Dec. 12, Chen came home from work at around 3am, only to find the charred apartment with the water and electricity cut off.

Since she was unfamiliar with the place and did not have many friends in Singapore, she and her roommate chose to stay in their room for the night.

Since she cannot afford book a hotel stay, Chen told the Chinese paper that she would probably continue staying in the damaged flat.

SCDF was alerted at about 11:50pm, Dec. 11

The fire is believed to be caused by a charging e-bike battery in the living room.

The SCDF said they were alerted to the fire at about 11:50pm on Dec. 11, where they saw black smoke "emitting from a unit on the fifteeth floor".

The agency also reminded the public not to leave PMD/PAB batteries charging overnight or for an extended period of time.

Top image via Shin Min Daily News