Two men passed away after a fire broke out at a fifth-floor unit at Synergy@KB, an industrial building in Kaki Bukit, at around 12:55pm on Sep. 19.

According to Lianhe Zaobao, one of them is a 51-year-old Malaysian named Luo Jiaqiang (transliteration), and the other is a 65-year-old man known as Vincent.

They were found unconscious inside a unit opposite the one that was on fire.

Officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) subsequently performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on them and conveyed them to Changi General Hospital.

Both succumbed to their injuries at the hospital, the Singapore Police Force told Mothership.

In a Facebook post published at 3:20pm, SCDF said the fire was extinguished with two water jets, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

They were visiting friend for lunch

According to Zaobao, the unit that was on fire belongs to a company that produces road signs and office supplies.

Its opposite unit belongs to a furniture company, and the deceased were friends of the company's owner, surnamed He (transliteration).

He told Zaobao that the two men arrived at his company at around 12:30pm, and they decided to discuss business over lunch.

However, as something came up for He, and he would be running late for 20 minutes, the two men decided to rest for a while at the showroom and lounge located on the mezzanine level of the company.

One of them apparently fell asleep, added He.

Stuck on a mezzanine level due to heavy smoke

When the fire broke out, other staff working below the mezzanine level shouted at the two men, telling them to evacuate, reported Zaobao.

When the staff left the company, which had already been filled with smoke, they noticed the two men did not follow them.

Although the staff wanted to return to the company to rescue the men, they could not enter the unit as the smoke was too thick.

The staff subsequently called the men, to which Vincent replied that the smoke was "overwhelming" and that he "couldn't breathe".

Similarly, Luo also made a choking sound over the phone.

When the call ended abruptly in less than a minute, the staff tried to dial again but could no longer reach the men.

They alerted the firefighters who were at the scene before evacuating downstairs.

Friend feels guilty for friends' passing

He told Zaobao that he felt "extremely guilty" after learning that his two friends had passed away:

"If I had met them on time to have lunch together, would they still be at the company when the fire broke out?"

He said they were working on three furniture projects, and he knew Vincent was Luo's business partner.

Younger brother did not manage to see one deceased for the last time

Luo's younger brother, 48, who visited the mortuary to retrieve Luo's body on Sep. 20 morning, told 8world News he immediately travelled to Singapore from Johor Bahru upon receiving the bad news.

Although he rushed to the scene of the fire, he did not manage to see Luo for one last time.

Luo's brother added that besides working as a carpenter, Luo also worked as an air conditioner handyman.

One deceased recently amended relationship with family

According to Luo's brother, Luo started working in Singapore approximately 20 years ago after getting into a conflict with his family, reported 8world.

He also cut off all contact with them until around six months ago.

After amending his relationship with his family, Luo would travel back to Malaysia every week to spend time with them.

While their mother was informed about Luo's passing, Luo's brother said that he had yet to break the news to their father, fearing for his health.

Luo's brother added that he would bring Luo's body back to Malaysia and hold a funeral for him on Sep. 22.

Friend's company also suffer damages

When He returned to his company after the fire was extinguished, he noticed that the window on the mezzanine level was open, reported Zaobao.

He theorised that his two friends must have tried to open the window to breathe but lost their lives after inhaling too much smoke.

Besides losing two friends, He said some items in his furniture store were also damaged by the heavy smoke.

As the company could not open for business, the damages are estimated to be around S$30,000, shared He.

Police investigations ongoing

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Police Force said they were alerted to the fire at around 1pm on Sep. 19.

Two men were conveyed unconscious to the hospital, where they subsequently died from their injuries.

Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Top images via Lianhe Zaobao & Shin Min Daily News