Punggol condo unit catches fire again 5 years later, same neighbour sprays water with hose to douse flames

The Waterwoods executive condominium unit in Punggol that caught fire on Aug. 6 was reportedly the same one that had previously also caught fire about five years ago in December 2020.

A Xiaohongshu user who made this claim also added that in both incidents, the same neighbour of the affected unit had been on the balcony spraying water from a hose in an attempt to douse the flames.

The user, who lives in Waterwoods, shared a video of this remarkable scene during the 2025 fire, attracting comments that praised the civic-minded resident for his action and calmness.

In this incident, the user saw the man try to put out the fire with his hose continuously for at least 15 minutes, they told Mothership.

Another user commented with a photo, said to be from the 2020 incident, capturing the same firefighting attempt by what appears to be the same neighbouring family.

Double fires

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), who put out the two fires, stated in both incidents that the blaze came from a unit on the block's 16th floor.

Both fires prompted the evacuation of about 100 residents from the block as a precautionary measure.

In the 2025 incident, the SCDF found four people in the affected unit, all conscious. Three were sent to the hospital.

The cause of the fires have not been officially established and reported.

According to another resident who posted separately on Xiaohongshu about the 2025 fire, the cause of the first fire in 2020 is still unclear.

However, they heard neighbours speculate that it had started because of the charging of a personal mobility device (PMD) in the house that caught fire.

The user also told 8 World that five or six people, including seniors, stayed there.

Top images from Tony Tan陈东尼/Xiaohongshu and 以美食为动力的跑者/Xiaohongshu