Fire breaks out at coffee shop near Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, 20 evacuated, 1 taken to hospital

A fire broke out at a coffeeshop on Queen Street on Mar. 19.

According to Chinese news daily Lianhe Zaobao, the coffeeshop was located below a block in Cheng Yan Court, near Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple.

One person taken to the hospital

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) confirmed it was alerted to a fire at Block 269B Queen Street.

The blaze reportedly involved the kitchen exhaust ducting (KED) of the coffee shop.

SCDF extinguished the fire using two water jets.

Ten people were assessed for smoke inhalation and breathlessness, one of whom was taken to Singapore General Hospital.

Around 20 residents were evacuated from the affected block by police and SCDF officers.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

SCDF also reminded the public, particularly stallholders, to take precautions against KED fires, with fire safety tips detailed in an accompanying infographic.

Zaobao reported that the fire originated from a mixed vegetable rice stall within the coffeeshop.

The equipment and utensils inside the stall were badly charred, though the exterior signboard and glass appeared to have sustained no visible damage.

The fire also spread to neighbouring stalls, but the full extent of the damage is still unknown.

In a video posted on TikTok, thick smoke could be seen pouring out of the coffeeshop, with a crowd of onlookers watching from nearby.

Jalan Besar PAP Member of Parliament Denise Phua later shared updates on Facebook, saying grassroots volunteers had been deployed to check on those affected.

She added that arrangements had been made for evacuated residents' needs to be taken care of, including meals if needed.

Jalan Besar Town Council is also assisting with a plumbing rupture.

By 2:10pm, residents had returned to their homes.

Top photos from Denise Phua/Facebook