72-year-old man dies after being trapped in Marsiling HDB flat fire

A 72-year-old man died after a fire broke out in a Housing Board flat in Marsiling in the wee hours of Thursday (Feb 15).

According to Lianhe Zaobao, the elderly man was found unconscious by Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel in the toilet and taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

In response to queries, the SCDF told AsiaOne that they were alerted to the fire at a 10th-floor unit in Block 4, Marsiling Road at around 2.20am.

When firefighters from the Woodlands Fire Station arrived at the scene, black smoke was seen emitting from the flat. SCDF added that upon forced entry into the unit, firefighters extinguished the fire, which involved the contents of a living room, using one water jet.

Firefighters then carried the man out to a safe area and commenced cardiopulmonary resuscitation. An ambulance crew which arrived shortly after took over the resuscitation efforts using an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), according to the statement.

About 35 people from the neighbouring units were also evacuated as a precaution, said the SCDF, adding that the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Smell of smoke in the air

When reporters from Zaobao arrived at the scene on Thursday afternoon, an acrid smell of smoke lingered in the air. 

The ceiling of the corridor outside the house was completely blackened with soot, and the wires running along the wall were exposed, reported the Chinese daily. 

Several foreign workers were also seen helping with repairs at the unit.

According to Zaobao, the deceased, Chen Yalai (transliteration), was known to neighbours as "ah boy" and was believed to have lived in the unit for 30 years.

Du Tianlai (transliteration), a 60-year-old cleaner who lives on the same floor as the deceased, told Zaobao that he was awake at the time of the incident and detected a pungent smell of smoke.

Du said that the police soon came knocking on his door, instructing him to evacuate the unit. 

"When I went out, I saw civil defence personnel breaking open the lock of the burning unit. When the door opened, plumes of black smoke came billowing out," said Du, who evacuated the building with several other neighbours.

"I looked up at the burning unit from downstairs and saw flames leaping out of the window, it was quite scary," Du told Zaobao. 

Du shared that Chen was withdrawn and seldom interacted with neighbours. He also had a smoking and drinking habit and had once hit a neighbour's door with a hammer during a druken stupour, Du claimed.

Du added that when he passed by Chen's unit last Wednesday, the latter told him that he had suffered a fall and asked to borrow Du's mobile phone so he could call for an ambulance.

"I saw him when he returned from the hospital on the second day of Chinese New Year, but he didn't look happy," said Du.

ALSO READ: E-bike sparks blaze along Bedok HDB corridor, causing some residents to evacuate: 'I was so scared, my legs went numb'

ashwini.balan@asiaone.com