Huge fire breaks out at Sembawang God of Wealth Temple, residents at elderly home evacuated
SINGAPORE — A fire broke out at the Sembawang God of Wealth Temple on Friday (18 September) night, leading to the evacuation of residents at a nearby elderly home amid an hours-long firefighting operation.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said on Facebook that it was alerted to a fire at No. 28 Admiralty Street at about 9.15pm. The fire, confined to the first and second floor of the four-storey temple, was extinguished close to midnight.
“Upon SCDF's arrival, the fire had engulfed the first floor of a four-storey temple and was spreading to the second floor,” said the SCDF.
As a safety precautionary measure, residents from a nearby elderly home were evacuated by the police.
“During evacuation, an elderly man from the home experienced breathlessness and was assessed by an SCDF paramedic. He was subsequently conveyed to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital by an SCDF ambulance,” said the SCDF.
There were no other reported injuries and the elderly residents returned to their rooms at about 11.45 pm.
“A total of 11 emergency vehicles and about 60 firefighters were deployed for the incident. At the height of the operations, seven jets were used to bring the fire under control,” the SCDF said.
Damping down operations – using water to wet burnt surfaces after a fire is put out – by the SCDF are ongoing. The cause of fire is under investigation.
Videos circulating on social media show massive fire engulfing most of the compound while the God of Wealth statue can be seen some distance away from the flames.
Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore
More Singapore stories:
Singapore company develops COVID-19 test kit that significantly speeds up diagnosis
Serial molester who targeted females on buses jailed 33 months
Man who posted photos of himself sniffing panties on Instagram fined $2,400
Man who brutally stabbed wife to death in Loyang Gardens jailed 10 years
