CK Building in Tampines catches fire, SCDF on scene
SINGAPORE: Occupants of a building in Tampines were evacuated on Wednesday (Aug 17), with Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers fighting to quell the raging fire there.
The incident started at around 1.30pm at CK Building. In a Facebook post, the SCDF said its officers were responding to the incident at Tampines Street 92.
Channel NewsAsia understands that there were no injuries resulting from the fire. However, SCDF said that a firefighter had been taken to hospital for heat exhaustion.
"The fire is raging on the third and fourth floor," said SCDF, adding that its officers are using six water jets on the exterior of the building to contain the fire. It said in a later Facebook post that paper products, household items and aerosol cans had generated "intense heat, impeding an interior attack" on the fire.
Five fire engines, two Red Rhinos, two fire bikes, 12 support vehicles and two ambulances were dispatched, said SCDF.
Members of the public sending videos and photos to Channel NewsAsia said the smoke from the fire could be seen from as far as Bedok North Depot.
Employees in a building about a block away from the scene of the fire said they heard explosions at about 2.50pm. "We heard a lot of explosions coming from the third floor," Jesh, 44, and Siva, 24, told Channel NewsAsia.
Some employees who work in a building directly opposite CK Building said they initially thought it was thunder.
SCDF said in a Facebook update that the explosions were believed to be from household aerosol cans in the fire.
Mr Nelson Lim, 29, who works in Block 9005, said his unit was very smokey. "We initially thought (the smoke was from) seventh month rituals. We went for lunch and when we came back, we saw this," he said.
Occupants of Areit Ascending, the building next to the scene of the fire, said they decided to evacuate themselves. "We saw smoke from the building across and it spread and some of us came down ... The fire started right across the window, when we were at our pantry We evacuated based on self-instinct. Evacuation (was) not properly done," said Mr Jason Soon, 43, marketing director from Vishay Technology Asia.
Mr JinFa Goh, who works at ABR Building - which is next to CK Building - said the fire started at about 1.30pm. By about 2pm, employees in his building had started evacuating as well.
CK employees were seen congregating at a food centre three buildings away from the scene of the fire.
Ms Sharla, 37, who works at Steel Industries Building - which is adjacent to the scene of the fire - said some staff from her company first noticed the fire at about 1.45pm and evacuated about 15 to 20 minutes later.
"We suddenly saw smoke coming out from the third floor of the building next door. Some staff saw the glass breaking. The policemen asked everyone to evacuated," she said.
As of 3.50pm, smoke was still seen coming from CK Building. Fire was still seen burning on the third and fifth levels. Water jets were still running. By about 4pm, there was significantly less smoke coming from the scene of the fire.
CK Building is a six-storey industrial warehouse with an ancillary office building and a gross floor area of about 9,500 square metres. CK Holdings took over the building in 2011.