2 children in hospital under observation after Yishun Street 11 fire: Shanmugam

About 50 people were evacuated from Block 128 Yishun Street 11 after a fire broke out in a second-floor unit on Nov. 7.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post that it was alerted to the fire at around 1:20pm, and the bedroom of the affected unit was in flames when it arrived.

The SCDF's photo showed a bedroom badly damaged, with its walls and doors broken.

Three occupants from the unit had already evacuated by then, and two others were conveyed to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

These two individuals were children, Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam, who is also Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC, told reporters afterwards.

The two children were still in the hospital under observation, but not for any injuries.

Keeping the family safe

Shanmugam, who met with the affected family, said that they were in a state of shock.

The Housing Development Board (HDB) has found temporary accommodation for them in a different block, and they would be able to move by the night.

As there were "a number of children involved", it was important to make sure they have somewhere safe to stay first, he said.

"The subsequent renovations — what to do and so on — my grassroots [organisation] will continue to link up with them," he added. "We will assess. Help will be given as necessary."

Cause of fire under investigation

According to the SCDF, preliminary findings indicated that the fire had likely originated from a lighted material in the affected bedroom.

Investigations are ongoing into the cause of the fire.

The SCDF arrived seven minutes after receiving the alert, and put the fire out about ten minutes after that.

"We need to bring in lot more public education on fire safety," Shanmugam said.

He highlighted that, based on past fires in HDB flats, some common causes include cooking being left unattended for some time, and the charging of electric items such as personal mobility devices (PMDs).

This fire was the second in the Yishun area in three days. The previous one broke out at Block 465B Yishun Street 44 on Nov. 5, likely originating from a PMD.

Top images from SCDF and Mothership