SINGAPORE \u2013 Four people were taken to hospital on May 31 after a fire broke out in an HDB flat in Choa Chu Kang.<\/p>\n
In a post on Facebook on May 31, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire at Block 439 Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4 at 1.20pm that day.<\/p>\n
When firefighters arrived, the living room of a 14th-floor flat was ablaze, which resulted in heat and smoke damage to the entire unit, said SCDF.<\/p>\n
It added that the fire was extinguished with two water jets.<\/p>\n
Four people from the affected block were assessed for smoke inhalation and taken to Singapore General Hospital, SCDF said in the post.<\/p>\n The aftermath of the 14th floor unit at Block 439,\u00a0Choa\u00a0Chu\u00a0Kang\u00a0Ave 4, after a fire broke out on May 31.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n A resident living in the flat opposite the affected unit told The Straits Times that he detected a strong smell of smoke at around 1pm.<\/p>\n When he went outside to find out what was going on, he saw black smoke coming out of the unit opposite his.<\/p>\n The resident, who did not wish to be named, said an elderly woman who lives in the unit that caught fire then came out of the flat. \u201cI ushered her into my house,\u201d added the resident.<\/p>\n \u201cWe shut the door and I called the SCDF. The smoke was quite unbearable so we placed wet towels over our noses,\u201d the resident said.<\/p>\n According to the resident, SCDF arrived around 15 minutes later and escorted other residents on that floor to the ground level.<\/p>\n Videos taken at the scene of the fire show black smoke coming out of the windows of a top-floor unit.<\/p>\n The walls, floor and ceiling of the unit appear severely charred in photos posted by SCDF. Exposed wires can also be seen dangling from the ceiling.<\/p>\n Three fire trucks can be seen parked at the foot of the block.<\/p>\n The cause of the fire is under investigation.<\/p>\n The top three causes of residential fires are unattended cooking, electrical faults, and lighted materials left unattended, said SCDF in its Facebook post on May 31.<\/p>\n The agency reminded the public not to leave cooking unattended even for a short period, to avoid overloading power sockets and not to leave devices charging overnight.<\/p>\n The public is also advised to ensure that lighted materials such as incense, candles or cigarettes are never left unattended, and are fully extinguished before disposal.<\/p>\n<\/picture><\/div>