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SINGAPORE \u2013 Twenty people were evacuated after a fire broke out in a 21st floor residential unit at People\u2019s Park Complex in Chinatown on Jan 4. <\/p>\n
In a Facebook post on Jan 4, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire in the living room of the flat at 1, Park Road, at 1.55pm.<\/p>\n
It added that firefighters entered the unit and extinguished the fire with two water jets. <\/p>\n
No one was inside the flat at the time and there were no reported injuries, it said.<\/p>\n
The cause of the fire is under investigation. <\/p>\n
Photos circulating on social media platform Xiaohongshu on Jan 4 show smoke billowing out of a unit, which was engulfed in flames.<\/p>\n
There were at least three fire engines and nine police vehicles at the scene, according to the photos. <\/p>\n
In its post, SCDF advised people to extinguish lighted materials, such as candles, before leaving home. <\/p>\n
They should also not leave cooking unattended or overload power sockets, and switch off the electrical supply when not in use.<\/p>\n
SCDF\u2019s annual statistics report released on Feb 13, 2025, showed that 968 calls received in 2024 were related to residential fires.<\/p>\n
Of these fires, 299 were of electrical origin, while 335 were from unattended cooking, making them the top two causes of fires in residential premises.<\/p>\n
There were 8.3 per cent more fires of electrical origin in 2024 than in 2023.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n