A man was spotted at the fifth-storey ledge of the Synergy@KB Industrial Building, which caught fire on Sep. 19, attempting to put out the fire with a water hose.
The fatal fire took the lives of two men, who were in a unit opposite the one that caught on fire on the fifth floor.
Videos from the scene showed the man holding a water hose to the fire as thick smoke billowed and flames engulfed the unit.
Gif via Ridwan Ash-Siddiq/Facebook
The man was later identified as Ridwan Ash-Siddiq, the 42-year-old owner of a car paint shop on the third floor of the building.
Tried his best
Ridwan posted on his Facebook page stating that he did what he felt was "needed" at that time.
He added that he tried his best with his supervisor to spray water with the hose, but the "smoke was unbearable".
Gif via Ridwan Ash-Siddiq/Facebook
He then went to the ledge in an attempt to put out the fire from the back of the unit, he explained.
He acknowledged what he did was dangerous but said:
"But at times we don't think when it comes to certain situations... my generation takes risks first.... not take videos first."
Did not hesitate
A Shin Min Daily News reporter also spoke to Ridwan.
Ridwan recounted that he was in his unit when he suddenly heard employees alerting each other about a fire upstairs.
As firefighters and police had not yet arrived, he rushed to see if he could help with a hose he found.
However, thick smoke made it difficult to breathe, prompting him to attempt to fight the fire from the back.
"To get to the back of the unit, I had to climb out of the window. I didn't think much about it, I just climbed out with the hose and sprayed water at the burning unit. But it really didn't work."
Ridwan described hearing "explosions" and feeling blasts of hot air.
"I was outside for about three to five minutes, then someone said the firefighters were here, so I crawled back in," he said.
Wife found out about his heroic act online
Although Ridwan did not initially inform his family of his actions, his wife learned about it when a video was posted online.
"She was very worried, but she also understood my character and was glad that I was fine," Ridwan said.
He mentioned that some people criticised him for not prioritising his own safety, but he insisted that he simply wanted to help and prevent others from getting hurt.
Fortunately, his shop did not sustain any damage from the fire, and they were able to resume business the following day.
Top photos from Ridwan Ash-Siddiq/Facebook