Jenny Tan, the sole survivor of a fire incident that occurred at Block 409 Bedok North Avenue 2, passed away on Mar. 24, 2024, at 12:30am.

The fire occurred on the morning of May 13, 2022, which had claimed the lives of her husband and three-year-old child.

Bedok fire claimed three lives

Five people had lived in the flat: 56-year-old homeowner Aileen Chan, Chan's boyfriend, then 34-year-old Jenny Tan, her 35-year-old husband Tan Soon Keong, and their three-year-old child Tan Hui En.

The fire was caused by a lit cigarette left behind on a cardboard box by the homeowner's boyfriend, according to a coroner's inquiry last year.

When the fire broke out, Aileen Chan, Tan Soon Keong and Tan Hui En were trapped and perished in the blaze.

Jenny fell into a coma and was sent to the hospital, where she could not speak or move her body after regaining consciousness.

Family members would take turns taking care of Tan

Jenny's family brought her back to her hometown in Kuala Lumpur after being hospitalised in Singapore for two months, according to Lianhe Zaobao.

The family had crowdsourced over S$118,000 from well-wishers for the fees to send her back.

Jenny reached a prolonged vegetative state due to smoke inhalation, but her family had remained hopeful.

They took her home and would take turns taking care and speaking to her.

They said though she could not move or speak, she could still blink, which made them believe she was conscious and could hear them.

However, during the days when she was bedridden, she could only ingest food through an infusion tube, and her body grew weaker over time.

On the night of Mar. 23, 2024, Jenny's breathing suddenly slowed down, and she passed away soon after.

She was 36 years old.

Family members said that while they had prepared for the worst, they were still devastated when she passed away.

A family member told Zaobao that Jenny had worked in Singapore for 11 years and wanted to move to Singapore with her whole family.

She had brought her daughter, who stayed in Malaysia, over to Singapore merely three days before the fire.

Tan Kiat How expressed deepest condolences to her family

Member of Parliament for East Coast GRC Tan Kiat How expressed his deepest condolences to Jenny's family in a Facebook post on Mar. 27, 2024.

He said his team did their best to support Tan and her family through various travel and medical arrangements.

Tan added that he was heartened by the kampung spirit displayed by the residents in the weeks after the fire and was grateful for everyone else who stepped forward to provide help and support.

"We last saw Jenny when we facilitated her transfer to a hospital in Kuala Lumpur and would periodically check in with her family to find out how she’s doing," he said.

"I hope that her family finds closure and that Jenny found peace," Tan said.

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Top image via Ray of Hope