SINGAPORE - A huge blaze engulfed the coffee shop and wet market at Block 493, Jurong West Street 41, early Tuesday (Oct 11) morning, forcing about 300 residents from the surrounding blocks to be evacuated.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post it was alerted to the "raging fire" at around 2.45am, and dispatched three fire engines, four red rhinos, seven support vehicles and four ambulances.
It found the wet market and coffee shop at the block to be completely engulfed in flames and quickly deployed six water jets and an aerial monitor to combat the flames.
"At the height of the fire, the roof of the wet market collapsed and the exterior side wall of a coffee shop at Blk 494, which was directly facing the raging blaze, sustained fire damage," SCDF added.
The fire was extinguished by 4.15am and damping down operations were in progress.
An estimated 300 residents from the surrounding blocks were evacuated by police and SCDF officers, with residents progressively being allowed to return to their homes.
While there were no injuries, a woman in her 60s experienced breathing difficulties during the evacuation and was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.
Jurong GRC MP Ang Wei Neng, who visited the scene of the fire on Tuesday morning, told reporters that help was being rendered to affected stall owners in the wet market to either operate elsewhere or set up an alternative site nearby.
One option being explored is a newly-built basketball court at Block 498, Mr Ang said.
He added: "The wet market's building structure does not appear to be safe, so it will take a while before they can access the area. The two coffee shops adjacent to the market are also unlikely to operate for now."
Facebook user Max Li, who lives nearby, said he was awoken in the middle of the night by a loud bang and was shocked to see the wet market in flames.
Mr Tan Cheng Koy, 70, a retiree who lives with his wife and four children in the corner-most second-floor unit of Block 494, told The Straits Times he was in his bedroom watching television when he heard the sound of firemen setting up their equipment.
"I opened my window to see what was happening, and there was a lot of smoke. Smoke was coming in through my kitchen window. Our vision was almost completely blurred. We immediately ran out," he said.
Mr Tan added that he and his family were only allowed to return to their unit at around 10am.
"The floor is still hot now. And the small window in my bedroom has shattered from the heat of the flames."
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
SOURCE: STRAITSTIMES
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post it was alerted to the "raging fire" at around 2.45am, and dispatched three fire engines, four red rhinos, seven support vehicles and four ambulances.
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| Aftermath from the Fire that hit the Jurong West Wet Market, Singapore |
"At the height of the fire, the roof of the wet market collapsed and the exterior side wall of a coffee shop at Blk 494, which was directly facing the raging blaze, sustained fire damage," SCDF added.
The fire was extinguished by 4.15am and damping down operations were in progress.
An estimated 300 residents from the surrounding blocks were evacuated by police and SCDF officers, with residents progressively being allowed to return to their homes.
While there were no injuries, a woman in her 60s experienced breathing difficulties during the evacuation and was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.
Jurong GRC MP Ang Wei Neng, who visited the scene of the fire on Tuesday morning, told reporters that help was being rendered to affected stall owners in the wet market to either operate elsewhere or set up an alternative site nearby.
One option being explored is a newly-built basketball court at Block 498, Mr Ang said.
He added: "The wet market's building structure does not appear to be safe, so it will take a while before they can access the area. The two coffee shops adjacent to the market are also unlikely to operate for now."
Facebook user Max Li, who lives nearby, said he was awoken in the middle of the night by a loud bang and was shocked to see the wet market in flames.
Mr Tan Cheng Koy, 70, a retiree who lives with his wife and four children in the corner-most second-floor unit of Block 494, told The Straits Times he was in his bedroom watching television when he heard the sound of firemen setting up their equipment.
"I opened my window to see what was happening, and there was a lot of smoke. Smoke was coming in through my kitchen window. Our vision was almost completely blurred. We immediately ran out," he said.
Mr Tan added that he and his family were only allowed to return to their unit at around 10am.
"The floor is still hot now. And the small window in my bedroom has shattered from the heat of the flames."
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
SOURCE: STRAITSTIMES
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