Toa Payoh HDB flat fire: Man assisting police probe

Another person was assessed for minor injuries but declined to be taken to hospital, SCDF said.

The police said the 61-year-old is assisting in investigations related to the offence of causing or contributing to the risk of dangerous fire.

The block is listed as a one-room public rental flat on the Housing Board’s website.

A 62-year-old neighbour living on the second floor told Chinese newspaper Shin Min Daily News that she heard the man shouting on Oct 25, and that her granddaughter saw him kicking a hat on the floor and throwing glass bottles.

She told the newspaper that the man has lived in the unit for more than 10 years, adding that he is a friendly person who gets along with neighbours.

According to SCDF’s annual statistics report released in February, the total number of fires increased by 3% from 1,990 in 2024 to 2,050 in 2025.

Of these, 1,051 involved residential buildings in 2025.

Unattended cooking and electrical fires – including faults in electrical wiring or overloaded sockets – remained the top two causes of home fires.