Yishun residents rescue five cats from Block 257 fire, suffer scratches

Two brave residents rushed into a burning unit at Block 257 Yishun Ring Road on Sunday morning (July 14, 2019) to rescue five cats before the Singapore Civil Defence Force arrived, sustaining scratches in the process. The SCDF responded at about 10.10am to find the fire confined to bedroom contents on the third floor, which they extinguished using two compressed-air foam backpacks.

Preliminary investigations indicated a personal mobility device (PMD) being charged sparked the blaze. Two people were hospitalised for suspected smoke inhalation, and one of the rescued cats suffered minor burns. Residents from nearby blocks joined the heroes in attempting to douse the flames with buckets and a hose before firefighters arrived, turning a potentially tragic incident into a neighbourhood rallying point.

• 15 Jul 2019stomp.sg