Man, 79, who died in Bukit Batok HDB fire, likely smoked on sofa & fell asleep: Inquiry

A 79-year-old man who died in a fire in his Bukit Batok Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat was believed to have smoked on his sofa before falling asleep.

Falling ash was the likely cause of the fire, an investigation revealed.

The fire on Jun. 14, 2023, caused Lin Guoyou (transliteration) to sustain burns over 80 per cent of his body, and he died of his injuries in hospital.

These findings were revealed in court on Oct. 28 during a coroner's inquiry into Lin's death, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Last seen lying on sofa before fire started

The police investigator said that on the day of the fire, Lin's wife had left their flat at Block 307 Bukit Batok Street 31 at around 6:30pm to buy food.

When she left, Lin was lying on the sofa in the living room.

Later, Lin's neighbour heard a loud sound coming from his unit, and when he came out to check, saw smoke billowing from it.

Two other neighbours attempted to put out the fire with a bucket and a fire extinguisher.

As they were doing so, Lin's wife returned and told them that her husband was inside the flat.

The group could see Lin's feet from outside but the thick smoke prevented them from confirming if the fire had been extinguished.

A neighbour wanted to enter the house to rescue Lin but was stopped by the others.

Died from burns on over 80 per cent of body

Subsequently, a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) team arrived at the scene.

Lin was found lying in the living room with burns all over his body.

He was still conscious and breathing when carried out of the unit, but had fallen into a coma by the time he got to hospital.

Lin was pronounced dead the next morning at 3:59am.

The autopsy report attributed his cause of death to the extensive burns he had sustained.

Lin was found to have suffered burns over 80 per cent of his body, including his limbs, chest area and head.

Lin's son, who also stayed with him in the Bukit Batok flat, said in court that his father was a heavy smoker who could smoke two packs a day, Shin Min reported.

He added that Lin often smoked on the sofa and would occasionally doze off.

Cause of fire believed to be an accident: Investigator

An SCDF investigator told the court that the sofa was believed to be the source of the fire, and that it was "very likely" that falling soot had ignited it along with nearby flammable materials like newspapers and lighters, Shin Min reported.

A mobile phone, a lighter and an ashtray were retrieved from the ashes.

The investigator added that the cause of the fire is believed to be an accident.

Based on a circular brown mark on the table in front of the sofa, the ashtray was believed to have been placed there, the investigator said.

The investigator said the ashtray was unlikely to have been on the sofa in the first place, but suggested that it could have been knocked onto the sofa during the firefighting operation.

The judge sought to clarify with the investigator whether Lin smoking on the sofa could have increased the possibility of ash falling on the sofa and causing it to catch fire.

The investigator agreed.

Top image from Shin Min Daily News