SINGAPORE: The fire at East Village Hotel at Marine Parade Road was put out on Monday after five hours.
Eleven people -- four children, five adults and two fire-fighters -- were injured as a result of the fire.
The Singapore Civil
Defence Force (SCDF) said one of the fire-fighters suffered heat
exhaustion, while the other sustained burns to his hands after he
tripped and fell.
Channel NewsAsia understands the four children
and two of the adults who sustained injuries are from the same family
who came to Singapore from Pakistan for a holiday.
The mother, who suffers from asthma, is being treated for smoke inhalation.
SCDF received a call about the incident at 9.06am.
Lieutenant-Colonel
Abdul Razak, SCDF's public affairs director, said the fire was one of
the more challenging fires SCDF has faced in recent years.
Its
fire-fighters used foam to tackle the blaze, which started in the
basement of the retail annexe. Foam is usually used in more challenging
situations.
SCDF said about 80 officers were deployed to battle
the fire. It also deployed six to eight Disaster Assistance and Rescue
Team (DART) officers to break through a wall.
Channel NewsAsia understands that the blaze could have started in a restaurant under renovation.
Viewers,
who called the Channel NewsAsia hotline in the morning, said the hotel,
which was located at 25 Marine Parade Road, was engulfed in thick,
black smoke.
One motorist, Mr Tan, said visibility along East Coast Road was also affected by the smoke.
Far
East Organization, which manages the East Village Hotel, said in a
statement that the fire occurred in a separate retail annexe at about
8.30am.
All guests and staff have been accounted for and safely
evacuated, said Mr Raphael Saw, the CEO of Far East Organization's
Hospitality Business Group.
The few guests and workers who were
affected by smoke inhalation were receiving medical attention, while
alternative arrangements were being arranged for affected guests at
Changi Village Hotel, added Mr Saw.
Cherie Hearts @ Eastgate, a
kindergarten and infant care centre at 46 East Coast Road, had asked
parents to pick up their children from the centre as the air quality in
the area was affected.
- CNA/wm
i read the version in the newspapers...
polystyrene boards + thinner & solvents + welding and hotwork make for a damned idiotically moronic dangerous workplace!
whoever it is who was the "safety officer" needs to be fired and blacklisted forever!
Its an accident only waiting to happen~