One person was taken to hospital after a fire broke out in a bedroom of an 11th-floor flat in Tampines late on Thursday, February 19, prompting the evacuation of about 40 residents.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that it was alerted to the blaze at Block 267 Tampines Street 21 at about 11.25 pm. The fire involved the contents of a bedroom in the unit.
Firefighters forced entry into the flat and rescued one occupant, who was later conveyed to Singapore General Hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation. The flames were extinguished using a water jet, SCDF added.
As a precautionary measure, around 40 residents from the affected block were evacuated by the police and SCDF.
A resident living in the same block told Chinese-language daily Shin Min Daily News that she became aware of the incident only after hearing the sirens of approaching emergency vehicles. She said she saw flames raging inside the bedroom and thick smoke pouring out of the unit.
According to the resident, at least five fire engines, three police cars and an ambulance were deployed to the scene. She also observed SCDF officers rushing up the stairs carrying hoses. Video footage she provided showed the exterior wall above the bedroom window blackened by smoke as firefighters continued directing water into the room.
The resident added that she heard SCDF personnel calling down from the 11th floor for a first-aid kit. An elderly man was later seen being carried downstairs on a stretcher while wearing an oxygen mask before being taken away in an ambulance.
Investigations at the unit continued past 1 am on Friday, February 20, with hoses being removed from the scene thereafter. A fire engine and a police vehicle reportedly remained at the block until about 2 am. Shin Min Daily News reported that the entire incident lasted more than two hours.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
According to SCDF statistics released in February, the number of residential fires increased from 968 cases in 2024 to 1,051 cases in 2025, an 8.6% rise. Unattended cooking and electrical faults were cited as the two leading causes of home fires.
