Yishun couple returns from dinner to find Block 431C flat gutted by electrical fire

A fire broke out at Block 431C, Yishun Avenue 1 on September 20, 2024 at around 6:40pm, engulfing the fourth-floor unit's living room in flames. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) arrived to find the flat empty — the residents had left for dinner at 6pm and were unaware of the blaze until a friend called at 6:52pm. Firefighters forced entry into the smoke-logged unit and extinguished the fire with a water jet, though the rest of the flat sustained significant heat and smoke damage.

About 100 residents from the third to sixth floors were evacuated as a precautionary measure. Neighbours, alerted by the gathering crowd, attempted to fight the fire with a hose before SCDF arrived. Preliminary investigation by the SCDF determined the fire originated from a storeroom and was electrical in nature. Sources confirmed the flat contained no personal mobility devices and used electric lamps on the family altar rather than oil lamps, ruling out those common ignition sources. The exact electrical cause remains under investigation.

• 20 Sept 2024mothership.sg