SINGAPORE - Three people were taken to hospital after a fire broke out in an HDB flat at Block 229 Lorong 8 Toa Payoh on July 29.

In a Facebook post, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire in the 10th-floor unit at about 1pm.

The fire was raging inside a unit on the 10th floor when firefighters arrived.

Three people were assessed for smoke inhalation and burn injuries, and taken to Singapore General Hospital.

Efforts to put out the fire are ongoing, SCDF added.

When The Straits Times arrived at the scene at about 2.20pm, at least 11 firefighters could be seen running in a cordoned-off area where the police were also present, to gather equipment, while crowds had gathered.

Thick, black smoke could also be seen from three of the affected unit’s windows. The damage and smoke had also transferred to the surrounding units, leaving a thick, black cast.

Residents who were evacuated said the fire began on the 10th floor and later spread to the 11th and 12th floors.

An older woman could be seen being ferried out in a wheelchair and being attended to by SCDF paramedics.

A resident who wanted to be known only as Madam Rebecca, 83, said she smelt smoke at around 1.30pm when she was about to take a nap.

Madam Rebecca, who lives on the second storey of the block with her domestic helper, said: “I evacuated immediately using the stairs. When I got to the void deck, there was an old woman who was with her daughter. The older woman was holding a dog and crying.”

The crying woman told firefighters who arrived at the scene that she was struggling to breathe and she was later attended to by paramedics, added Madam Rebecca, who has lived in the block for 30 years.

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