About 130 residents were evacuated by police from the Housing Board block in Hougang after a fire broke out in the bedrooms of their fourth-floor units on Sunday night.
Affected residents told the Shin Min Daily News that when the fire started at Block 603 Hougang Avenue 4, they heard breaking glass and smelled a strong burning smell.
According to a Chinese-language daily, residents evacuated their units after realizing the fire.
Two residents of the affected apartment complex, a couple in their 70s, were also evacuated before officers from the Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF) arrived, Shin Min said.
Seven people reportedly live in the unit, but only an elderly couple was there when the fire broke out.
In a Facebook post Sunday night, the SCDF said it received an alarm for the fire at around 8:55 pm and put it out with water jets.
The rest of the unit suffered heat and soot damage from the fire in the bedroom, with preliminary investigation indicating electrical causes.
There were no casualties, but SCDF paramedics evaluated two members of the affected unit and another two members of a nearby unit for smoke inhalation. But they refused to be taken to hospital, he said, the SCDF.
The public should adopt good practices such as not overloading electrical outlets and switching off appliances when not in use, SCDF said in a post. It is also not recommended to use defective appliances with frayed wires or cracked cords.
It is recommended to use electrical appliances and electrical plugs with safety markings.
Appliance categories can be found here: www.consumerproductsafety.gov.sg
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