SINGAPORE \u2013 A fire broke out in a lift control panel at the ibis Singapore on Bencoolen hotel on March 13.<\/p>\n
No injuries were reported, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), who were alerted to the fire on the 16th floor of the hotel at about 9.55am. <\/p>\n
The cause of the fire is under investigation, said SCDF, adding that the fire was extinguished using a fire extinguisher.<\/p>\n
When The Straits Times arrived at the scene on Bencoolen Street at about 12pm, some people had been evacuated from the premises and were sitting near the Stamford Arts Centre, which is behind the hotel.<\/p>\n
There were at least one fire engine and two ambulances.<\/p>\n
Ms Janice Villamil, a hotel guest from the Philippines, said a fire alarm went off at about 9.30am.<\/p>\n
Guests were told to gather at the lobby before being escorted to an open space in front of the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple on Waterloo Street to be assessed for injuries, said the vice-president of a tech firm who is in Singapore for a conference. <\/p>\n
She was later told by a hotel housekeeper that the fire came from the lift on the 16th floor.<\/p>\n
In a photo Ms Villamil shared with ST, a lift panel appears to have been damaged by the fire. Some parts of the surrounding wall and ceiling are blackened by soot.<\/p>\n A lift panel appears to have been damaged by the fire, with soot blackening some parts of the surrounding wall and ceiling.<\/p>\n PHOTO: COURTESY OF JANICE VILLAMIL<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n According to digital travel platform Agoda, the 16-storey hotel has 534 rooms. <\/p>\n ST has contacted the police and ibis for more information.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/picture><\/div>