Fire breaks out 1 hour after Redhill resident allegedly hears neighbour talking about burning down flat

A resident of Block 90 Redhill Close was shocked when a fire broke out at a residential unit beneath his flat on Dec. 12 evening.

This was especially because just an hour ago, the resident, surnamed Shen (transliteration from Chinese), had allegedly heard his neighbour downstairs yelling that he wanted to "burn down" his flat, reported Shin Min Daily News.

As a result of the fire, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) evacuated around 30 people as a precautionary measure.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Police, SCDF investigated for 5 hours

When Shin Min reporters arrived at the Housing and Development Board (HDB) estate at around 10pm, the fire had already been extinguished.

Around 20 onlookers were at the scene, and the ground floors of Blocks 89 and 90 Redhill Close had been cordoned off.

The unit where the fire took place, which was located on the second floor of Block 90, had been cordoned off as well.

There was a lingering burning smell, and water could be seen along the common corridor.

Several officers wearing safety helmets and carrying flashlights were seen coming in and out of the unit and taking photos of the scene.

The reporters could still feel the lingering heat from the fire on the third floor of the HDB block.

Shin Min reported that the police and SCDF were investigating at the scene for five hours.

Man seen arguing with police

At around 11pm, the police lifted the cordon, and the evacuated residents were allowed to return to their units, reported Shin Min.

At the time, the reporters also saw a man sitting on the ground floor of the HDB block, accompanied by several police officers.

According to Shin Min, he was believed to be an occupant of the unit where the fire took place.

Two women, believed to be his wife and her friend, were seen nearby.

At one point, the man started arguing with the police officers, asking them, "What else do you want to ask? I want to go home!"

In response, his wife clapped back at him, saying, "What's the point of returning when the flat is gone?"

She was heard saying she would give him some money and that he could go live with his mother, reported Shin Min.

By 12am on Dec. 13, the couple were still seen conversing with police officers on the ground floor.

Couple allegedly argued often

According to Shen, who has been living at the HDB block for around six years, the couple often argued, reported Shin Min.

"They fought almost every day, and everyone had become used to it," said Shen.

Shen's observations were corroborated by his daughter, who added that she had heard the couple fighting when she came to visit Shen.

Another neighbour also said they had heard the couple arguing about money.

Allegedly also argued on Dec. 12

Shen told Shin Min that on the date of the incident, the couple had apparently argued the entire afternoon until 7 or 8pm.

"Their argument was very loud. The man also said he would burn down the flat. Who knew the HDB block would suddenly catch fire?" he remarked.

Shen also shared that he only knew a fire had broken out downstairs after a neighbour knocked on his door, stating that smoke was coming into Shen's unit.

Another resident claimed that they heard "a loud explosion sound at around 8pm", but they initially thought it was someone throwing furniture downstairs.

Several 3rd-floor units affected

According to Shin Min, several units on the third floor of the HDB block, including Shen's, were affected by the fire.

Shen shared that even up to more than an hour since the fire broke out, he and his family could not walk on their floor barefoot, because they could still feel the lingering heat.

His daughter also lamented, "Our entire flat is now filled with soot, so we could only open the window and allow the air to circulate through it first. We will clean it up gradually afterwards."

Besides Shen's flat, Shin Min reporters saw three other units that had their doors pried open, with damaged locks and some of the door frames out of shape.

Shen's daughter surmised that SCDF officers made forced entries into the units above to check if there were people in need of rescue.

According to her, SCDF also brought Shen to safety, as he relies on a wheelchair.

SCDF statement

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force confirmed it was alerted to the fire at around 7:25am on Dec. 12.

The fire involved the living room of a unit on the second floor.

SCDF conducted forcible entry into the unit and extinguished the fire with a water jet.

The individuals evacuated from the HDB block were from levels 2 to 4.

There were no reported injuries.

Top image via Shin Min Daily News