One person taken to hospital after Simon Lane house fire

A two-storey house on Simon Lane was engulfed in flames on Saturday afternoon, sending one person to hospital for smoke inhalation and forcing about 30 people to leave neighbouring homes.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force said it received an alert at about 3pm and found the house ablaze on arrival. Firefighters used three water jets to surround, contain and extinguish the fire. One person from the affected unit had evacuated before emergency crews arrived.

A person from a neighbouring unit was assessed for smoke inhalation and taken to Singapore General Hospital. A firefighter sprained an ankle during the operation but did not require an ambulance. SCDF said the adjacent home suffered partial damage.

The operation continued into the evening with damping-down, in which firefighters apply water to wet burnt surfaces to prevent the fire from rekindling. A local resident, Sophie Wei, said bright orange flames and thick smoke were visible from a considerable distance around 3.20pm. She said the fire spread across the building and through parts of the roof, sections of which later appeared to collapse.

Wei said flames and smoke became visible again at about 5.50pm after the blaze appeared to have been brought under control. CNA observed SCDF vehicles at the scene around 9.15pm as personnel continued spraying water around the blackened house. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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visible from a considerable distance