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SINGAPORE \u2013 One person was taken to hospital after a fire broke out in a Simei HDB flat on the afternoon of May 8. <\/p>\n
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post that day that it was alerted to the fire at Block 153 Simei Street 1 at about 4.40pm. <\/p>\n
When firefighters arrived, the living room of a unit on the second floor was on fire, it said, adding that the fire was put out using a water jet.<\/p>\n
Three people had evacuated from the affected unit before SCDF personnel arrived. About 10 people were evacuated by the police and SCDF from the block as a precaution, SCDF said.<\/p>\n
The entire living room of the HDB flat was damaged by the fire, and the rest of it was also affected by heat and smoke damage, SCDF said.<\/p>\n
One person from a neighbouring unit was assessed by a paramedic for smoke inhalation, SCDF said, adding that the person was taken to Singapore General Hospital.<\/p>\n
Preliminary findings indicate that the fire had likely originated from a power bank that was charging in the living room, SCDF said. <\/p>\n
To prevent such fires, SCDF advised members of the public not to leave batteries or devices charging unattended for an extended period of time, and not leave it charging overnight.<\/p>\n
An MP for East Coast GRC, Ms Jessica Tan, said she visited the home affected by the fire on the night of May 8.<\/p>\n
The family in the affected unit had managed to get out of the flat safely, she said, adding that she checked in with the family and neighbours to see how they could be supported in the days ahead.<\/p>\n
Apart from residents being evacuated, pets from several households were rescued too, Ms Tan said, adding that at least six cats, a dog and a rabbit were brought to safety.<\/p>\n
She also expressed her gratitude to East Coast Town Council officers and cleaners who stepped in to assist on the ground.<\/p>\n
In 2025, there were 304 fires of electrical origin in residential premises, according to SCDF\u2019s annual statistics report released on Feb 11<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n Most of these fires were caused by faults in electrical wiring or electrical appliances, or due to overloading of electrical sockets, SCDF said in its report.<\/p>\n The top two causes of home fires in 2025 were unattended cooking and electrical fires.<\/p>\n The Feb 11 report did not mention the number of fires linked to power banks that year.<\/p>\n