Two children taken to hospital after fire at Yishun flat, 50 residents evacuated

According to the minister, five children and their parents lived in the flat. 

Speaking to members of the media, Mr Shanmugam said the fire was extinguished within 10 minutes and that the neighbouring units were not affected.

While the fire damage within the affected unit was “somewhat extensive”, SCDF officers arrived and “put out the fire very fast”, said Mr Shanmugam, who arrived at the scene at about 4.30pm and immediately approached the affected family.

Mr Shanmugam added: “The room where the fire probably started is very badly damaged. The other rooms are not so badly damaged.”

Temporary accommodation in another block has been found for the family, and concerns about repair costs will be discussed.

Mr Shanmugam also said that “a lot more” public education is needed on fire safety.

“There are about a million HDB units. So it’s a huge number. With that, you can expect that there will be incidents, some accidents,” he said.

After speaking to the affected family, Mr Shanmugam spoke to firefighters, before heading up to the affected unit.

About 50 people from the affected block were evacuated as a precautionary measure, said SCDF.

“Preliminary findings indicate that the fire had likely originated from a lighted material in the affected bedroom,” it added.

When CNA arrived at the scene 3.55pm, police officers were at the foot of the block, which was mostly cordoned off with police tape.

There was one fire engine left at the scene. 

Most residents had already returned home, but a handful were at the void deck of the opposite block.

Additional reporting by Charmaine Jacob