Garbage bin at UTown Residence catches fire, 1 person sent to hospital

A fire broke out at UTown Residence at the National University of Singapore (NUS) on Nov. 24, 2024 at around 6:30am.

According to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), they were alerted to a fire at 36 College Avenue East at around 6:50am.

SCDF stated that the fire involved the contents of a garbage bin in a bin centre.

The premises' Company Emergency Response Team extinguished the fire using a domestic hose before SCDF's arrival.

One person was conveyed to Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation.

Documenting the experience

One student took to the Chinese social media site Xiao Hong Shu, sharing her experiences.

She claimed that she was woken up by the fire alarm at around 6:30am at UTown Residence.

She shared conversations with her roommate on Telegram, during which a friend said they smelt smoke in the other block.

The student later commented that at least the incident happened on a Sunday and not during their final exam period.

She finally discovered a fire in the north tower of UTown Residence and could smell the smoke.

She added that she had taken her computer, iPad, and cheatsheet before evacuating and had to walk down 17 floors with other students before gathering on the lawn at UTown.

The student then shared a message she received stating that preliminary investigations showed that the source of the fire was likely a cigarette thrown into the garbage bin.

The message stated that the green bin in the bin centre was completely burnt, and smoke had risen through the refuse chute opening.

Top photos via Xiao Hong Shu & Google Maps