MORE than $50,000 worth of cloth went up in smoke this morning at a textiles shop on North Bridge Road. The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
Mr Abdul Rasheed, the shop tenant, believes that the fire could have been started by workers who are doing patching and painting works in the vacant unit above.
Having recently renewed his tenancy, he had already started stocking up in anticipation of higher sales during the Hari Raya period in September.
Although he did not insure his shop, Mr Rasheed hopes to get some money fro the building's owner to help him cover some losses. 'I don't know what to do. I'm very sad. I hope I can recover something in compensation. This is my life's earnings,' he said.
It was a worker at his shop who noticed the black smoke and sparks on the roof at the back of the shop. He then alerted Mr Rasheed who was having a drink nearby.
When he rushed back, Mr Rasheed, shocked, called the SCDF immediately. In the 30 minutes it took the SCDF to bring down the fire, almost all his goods had been destroyed, save for five per cent of them, he said.
-- ST