They opened just four months ago, but the future of this eatery in Tampines is now uncertain after a fire ravaged the shop on Thursday (Sept 3) morning.

The owners of Mee+, which sells Malay cuisine, shared the news of their indefinite closure in an Instagram Reel later the same day. 

The eatery at Block 477 Tampines Street 43 was established in April this year by two friends, Adi Rusydi Abdul Rahman and Arrell Tan — an ex-Singapore Airlines flight steward.

The pair said on Instagram that the fire had started from an electrical distribution box. 

Rusydi, who was behind the camera, said that he and Tan are safe as they were not in the store when it broke out.

The 36-year-old added that he was unsure whether they would restart operations. 

"Thank you, everyone, who has supported us for the past four months," he said, his voice cracking slightly as he navigated through the rubble and charred remains of the store.

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A post shared by mee+ (@meeplus.sg)

In a separate video posted on Thursday, the owners showed the charred distribution board box with wires hanging out from the walls. 

A distribution board box is the central electrical panel in a building that divides incoming power into smaller and safer circuits for various appliances.

Shattered glass could also be seen all over the store and the floors were blackened from the fire.

They also included footage of Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) firefighters entering the smoke-filled store and extinguishing the blaze.

In response to AsiaOne's queries, SCDF said that it was alerted to the fire at about 8.20am on Thursday.

It extinguished the fire, which involved an electrical distribution box in a unit on the ground floor, with a water jet. Around 20 people were evacuated from the affected block as a precaution.

A person from a neighbouring unit was assessed for shortness of breath, but declined to be sent to the hospital, according to SCDF.

SCDF added that there were no other reported injuries and that the cause of the fire is under investigation.

'Don't know what to do from here'

As Rusydi and Tan walked their customers through the debris in their video, they recounted how difficult it was to see their store in this state.

"We built all this from scratch," said Rusydi, adding that many people were involved in the making of Mee+.

The duo shared that they would try to rebuild whatever they could with what was left, but are unsure of what they are able to do. 

"I really don't know what we're going to do from here," 26-year-old Tan admitted. 

"It's very, very hard," said Sydi mournfully. "We're trying our best to stay as calm as we can."

The post has gained the support of netizens, with many encourageing the pair to continue their enterprise. 

"Please do let us know how the community can help. So many seniors and kids enjoy your food, it's time we give back! We can do this!!" commented one Instagram user. 

Another wrote: "Don’t give up you guys got this! Time to rebuild and come back stronger!"

AsiaOne has reached out to Mee+ for more information.

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laili.abdeen@asiaone.com