Three people were taken to hospital after a fire broke out inside a ninth-floor HDB flat in Bukit Panjang on Oct. 4, prompting the evacuation of about 100 residents from the block.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire at Block 479 Segar Road at about 9.35am. Firefighters arrived to find the blaze confined to a bedroom of a ninth-floor unit.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze using a water jet, preventing it from spreading beyond the affected bedroom. Black soot was later visible around the unit and along the corridor outside the flat.
One person from the affected unit had managed to evacuate before SCDF arrived. That person, along with two people from a neighbouring flat, was assessed for possible smoke inhalation.
All three were subsequently taken to Singapore General Hospital for medical attention. SCDF did not report any other injuries arising from the fire.
As a precaution, police and SCDF officers evacuated around 100 residents from the block while firefighting operations were under way. The evacuation was carried out to keep residents away from the affected area and allow emergency crews to work safely.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the fire likely originated from an electrical source in the bedroom. Authorities have not indicated that the blaze was deliberately started.
The incident has prompted renewed reminders about electrical safety in homes. SCDF advised residents not to overload electrical outlets with multiple appliances and to ensure that electrical devices are properly used and maintained.
Residents were also reminded to switch off appliances that are not in use and to avoid leaving batteries or devices charging unattended for extended periods. These precautions are particularly important in HDB flats, where a fire inside one unit can quickly produce smoke and affect neighbouring homes and common corridors.
The Bukit Panjang incident came only days after another serious fire at an HDB block in the same area. On Sept. 28, a separate blaze at Block 126 Pending Road resulted in two people being taken to hospital and about 70 residents being evacuated.
That earlier fire involved items in the living room of a sixth-floor unit. An unconscious person was found inside and received cardiopulmonary resuscitation from SCDF emergency medical personnel before being taken to hospital. The 77-year-old victim later died.
Residential fires remain a significant part of Singapore’s emergency response workload. SCDF recorded 1,051 residential fire calls in 2025, up from 968 in 2024, representing an increase of 8.6 per cent.
SCDF has identified unattended cooking and electrical sources among the leading causes of residential fires. Its safety guidance therefore continues to emphasise responsible use of electrical appliances, avoiding overloaded power sockets and ensuring potentially hazardous devices are not left unattended.
For the Segar Road incident, firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the bedroom, while the evacuation helped reduce the risk to other residents. The three people affected by smoke were brought to hospital for assessment as authorities continued to examine the circumstances surrounding the fire.
The incident serves as another reminder that even a fire confined to a single room can lead to a wider emergency in a high-rise residential block, requiring residents to evacuate while firefighters work to contain the blaze.
