SINGAPORE \u2013 A fire broke out at a row of terraced houses in Joo Chiat in the early hours of Dec 17. <\/p>\n
One person was taken to Singapore General Hospital after inhaling smoke from the fire. <\/p>\n
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post on Dec 17 that it was alerted to the fire, which was burning in three single-storey terraced units and spreading to adjacent units, in Chiku Road at about 4am. <\/p>\n
About 20 people from the affected and neighbouring units were evacuated by the police and SCDF as a precautionary measure. <\/p>\n
The fire was extinguished at 6.45am after firefighters set up water jets to surround and contain the fire to the three units. A total of seven water jets were deployed at the height of the operation, said SCDF.<\/p>\n About 20 people from the affected and neighbouring units were evacuated as a precautionary measure.<\/p>\n PHOTO: SCDF\/FACEBOOK<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n It also deployed a combined platform ladder for aerial firefighting and to prevent the further spread of the fire. <\/p>\n Six adjacent terraced units had varying degrees of burn damage because of the fire. <\/p>\n Damping down, which refers to applying water to wet burnt surfaces immediately after a fire is put out to prevent rekindling of the fire, of the affected area is ongoing.<\/p>\n When The Straits Times arrived at the scene at 8am, the stretch of Joo Chiat Place from Still Road to Rambutan Road was cordoned off. <\/p>\n Mr Bappy Rubayat Hossain, a plastering worker from Bangladesh, told ST that he was sleeping when someone alerted him to the fire. <\/p>\n The 35-year-old had to escape by wading in the rain through a drain behind his unit because the fire was blocking his other escape routes. <\/p>\n Mr Kannan Alagappan, a site engineer from India, said he heard three explosions coming from the fire at about 4am.<\/p>\n He added that the fire was \u201cvery strong\u201d, extending two metres above the roof of the terraced units.<\/p>\n The cause of the fire is under investigation, said SCDF.<\/p>\n The Straits Times has contacted police for more information.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/picture><\/div>