Race Course Road flat fire: 2 policemen pried open locked HDB gate with bare hands to save elderly woman

On Monday evening (Aug. 3), a fire broke out at a fifth-storey flat at Block 684 Race Course Road.

According to Shin Min Daily News, a household of five, aged between 55 and 88, were trapped in the fire.

Police officers managed to force their way into the flat to rescue one of them, and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) rescued the remaining four, three of whom were unconscious.

One of the victims, an 88-year-old man, passed away two days after he was taken to hospital, reported CNA.

Elderly woman trapped in flat

Speaking in an interview with Shin Min on Aug. 6, the police officers shared more about the rescue.

The two police officers were Sergeant Rafhan, 35, and Sergeant Afiq, 25, from Rochor Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC).

When they reached the scene, they found black smoke billowing continuously from the burning unit.

They saw a woman in her 70s trapped inside, wearing a T-shirt and shorts, her face already blackened with soot.

Rafhan said that the visually impaired elderly woman was in a state of panic, and SCDF personnel had not yet arrived at the scene.

"My first reaction at that moment was that I had to ensure her safety, and I wanted to get her out as quickly as possible," he said.

The area was thick with smoke that would cause discomfort if inhaled, so Rafhan, assisted by his colleague, kept giving the elderly woman verbal instructions to crouch down low to avoid the smoke as much as possible.

Had to get her out of the unit urgently

Once the elderly woman was seated, getting her out became the most urgent task, the officers recounted.

As the metal gate was firmly locked, Rafhan noticed a window next to the gate, and tried to break the glass with his baton to enter the unit and rescue her.

However, after breaking the window, he found metal grilles behind it, making it impossible to get through.

In order to save her as quickly as possible, Afiq made a split-second decision to forcibly pry open the locked metal HDB gate.

Afiq said the situation was urgent at the time, and he simply did not have time to think it through.

Metal gate felt like 'baking tray that had just come out of the oven'

The metal gate had grown hot due to the intensity of the fire. He described the sensation of touching it as like "a baking tray that had just come out of the oven".

"I grabbed the gate and pulled a few times, and the gate actually came open," he said.

Looking back on the rescue, Afiq said it was the most dangerous operation he had taken part in since joining the police force less than a year ago.

After successfully prying open the gate, the two officers quickly entered the unit, each supporting one of the elderly woman's shoulders, and worked together to bring her safely out of the burning unit.

The elderly woman had difficulty moving at the time and her body temperature was elevated, so Afiq carried her directly in his arms and rushed toward the lift lobby as quickly as possible.

The fire had not spread outside the unit at that point, and the lift was still working.

The two officers then took the lift with the elderly woman straight down to the first floor, where they handed her over to SCDF paramedics who had arrived at the scene by then for emergency treatment.

The elderly woman was very quiet throughout the rescue, neither crying out nor speaking, which the officers believe was due to shock.

Continued with evacuation efforts after emergency rescue

After rescuing the elderly woman, Rafhan and Afiq went on to cordon off the area downstairs and helped evacuate the crowd.

About 50 residents from the block were evacuated during the operation.

Investigations into its cause are ongoing.

Top image via SCDF/Facebook & Shin Min Daily News