Coffin of deceased man, 90, departs for cremation, fire destroys Bedok Reservoir funeral wake

Editor's note: This article has been amended to include a response from Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC).

A fire broke out at a Bedok Reservoir Road funeral wake after the coffin departed for cremation.

The flames engulfed the void deck, resulting in thick smoke billowing from the ground floor of the block of flats.

The incident occurred on the afternoon of Apr. 16, 2026 at the void deck of Block 617 Bedok Reservoir Road, Shin Min Daily News reported.

The venue was the site of a wake for a 90-year-old man who had passed away.

The walls of the ground floor and units on the second floor were blackened by the smoke.

Cause of fire

A 42-year-old relative of the deceased, Hong (transliterated), said she understood that the fire was reportedly caused by a short circuit.

In addition, a female resident living on the second floor directly above the fire told Shin Min that she was at work when the fire broke out and only learned of it when she returned home.

She said: "I closed the windows before I left home, so not much was charred. The floor was very hot and dirty, and the kitchen window was blackened by soot."

Aftermath

A video by a Shin Min reader showed the aftermath of the fire, with items strewn all over the void deck and the wiring was exposed.

Police tape could also be seen.

According to Shin Min, the fire had reportedly started in the area behind the funeral altar where the coffin was originally placed.

A fan, plastic awning, strips of cloth, and a metal frame near the coffin were also burned.

Coffin already carried out

Speaking to Shin Min, Xie (transliterated), a son of the deceased man, said his father had passed away peacefully.

After the funeral service ended at about 12pm, the family proceeded to Mandai Crematorium with the coffin at around 1pm.

Xie said the funeral service provider only informed his family of the fire after they had completed cremation rites.

"We set off around 1pm, and the fire broke out around 2pm," he said.

"They were very kind, they waited until we had finished all the ceremonies before telling us about it, but we still don't know the specific reason," the son added.

It was fortunate that his father's coffin had already been carried out and no one was left at the wake, Xie added.

Flammable items removed

Following the incident, Shin Min contacted a person-in-charge from the funeral service provider, who said it was unclear why the fire broke out, as items such as candles and oil lamps had already been brought to the crematorium.

Electricity at the wake had also been turned off, he said, adding that losses from the incident were still being tallied.

Under investigation

Responding to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force confirmed they were alerted to a fire at Block 617 Bedok Reservoir Road at about 2:20pm.

SCDF said the fire involved items placed at the void deck and was extinguished by members of the public prior to the arrival of SCDF firefighters.

Mothership understands that the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) was informed that the fire was caused by open flames, which affected items placed at the void deck.

AHTC said the fire was not caused by an electrical short circuit or the block’s electrical system.

There were no reported injuries and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Top photos via Shin Min Daily News