Fire at Clementi Ave 4 claims 1 life, injures 2 firefighters

A fire broke out late in the evening of Jul. 31 at Block 309 Clementi Avenue 4, resulting in one fatality and at least two injured firefighters.

Eighth floor unit on fire

The SCDF said in a social media post that they were alerted to the fire at around 11:10pm.

Emergency services arrived to find that the living room of an eight-floor unit was on fire.

Firefighters conducted forcible entry to access the unit and discovered that the fire involved items in the living room; they extinguished the blaze using a single water jet.

Resident and two firefighters taken to hospital

While the firefighters were conducting their operation, a person was found unconscious in the kitchen.

That person was brought out of the unit and conveyed to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

About 40 residents from the affected block were evacuated by the SCDF and the police as a precaution.

Additionally, two firefighters were taken to Singapore General Hospital after sustaining burn injuries while fighting the fire.

As of Aug. 1, one of those firefighters had been discharged from the hospital and was resting at home.

MP for the area Sim Ann also posted on social media, showing that she and her team had arrived at the site and met with those affected by the fire.

Her post confirmed that the resident had passed away after being taken to hospital, and that her team were looking for the deceased's next of kin as they had been believed to be living alone.

She reported that most of the residents who had been temporarily evacuated were able to return to their homes by 1:30 am on Aug. 1, and that, as far as was known, no other resident had been injured.

Limited damage to other units and common area

A subsequent post by Sim said that volunteers and town council representatives had met with those affected in order to assess how to help residents whose homes and personal property may have sustained damage.

She said that, despite the intensity of the fire, it appeared overall damage to other units and common areas was limited, and that most of the households spoken to would be able to remain at home after some cleanup.

Neighbours were able to share some information about the deceased resident's next of kin, with Sim adding that she hopes to get in contact wtih them.

During both posts, Sim expressed gratitude to the SPF and the SCDF, including the two firefighters taken to hospital, wishing them a swift recovery.