One person taken to hospital after Simon Lane house fire

SINGAPORE: One person was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation after a fire broke out at a two-storey house along Simon Lane on Saturday (Sep 5). 

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the blaze at about 3pm.

When firefighters arrived, the two-storey house was ablaze. They deployed three water jets to surround, contain and extinguish the blaze. 

A person from the affected unit had evacuated before SCDF’s arrival.

During the operation, about 30 people were evacuated from neighbouring homes.

SCDF said one person from one of the neighbouring units was assessed for smoke inhalation and taken to Singapore General Hospital. 

A firefighter sustained a sprain on his ankle during the operation but no ambulance conveyance was required, SCDF added.

The adjacent home partially damaged, SCDF said.

Damping down of the affected area, where water is applied on wet burnt surfaces to prevent rekindling, is ongoing. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

CNA reader Sophie Wei, who stays in Kovan, said she saw bright orange flames and thick smoke that were "visible from a considerable distance" at about 3.20pm, with the fire spreading across the building and through parts of the roof. 

Sections of the roof later appeared to collapse about an hour later, with parts of the structure blackened by the fire, she said.

Ms Wei noted that after the fire appeared to have been initially brought under control, flames and smoke became visible again at around 5.50pm, with the fire seemingly reignited. 

At approximately 9.15pm, CNA saw SCDF vehicles present at the site as personnel continued spraying water around the home. Its facade was blackened by the blaze, while the smell of smoke lingered in the air.