Fire breaks out at Little India shophouse
SINGAPORE – A fire broke out at a two-storey shophouse in Little India on Feb 3, damaging neighbouring shops and a car.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in Facebook post that the interior of the unit at 31 Norris Road had been engulfed in flames that later spread to adjacent shophouses, causing heat and smoke damage.
Firefighters were alerted at 11.15am and extinguished the fire within an hour using three water jets.
They had covered a car that was parked in front of the shophouse with a fire blanket, but it was also damaged by the blaze.
A combined platform ladder was also deployed to assess and monitor the incident from the air.
There were no reported injuries and the cause of the fire is still under investigation, said SCDF.
In footage of the fire posted to Facebook page Truly SG on Feb 3, plumes of thick smoke can be seen billowing from the windows of the shop, which appears to be a massage parlour, and its two neighbouring units.
About five police officers are also seen at the scene, with some holding on to fire extinguishers.
When The Straits Times arrived at the scene around 1pm, a police cordon had been set up.
As at 3pm, the area remains cordoned off to the public.
Mr Ankush Sharma, who works at Khansama Tandoori Restaurant just down the road from the burnt unit, told The Straits Times that he saw people running away in a panic.
“There were a lot of people around and everyone started running away. Some were very scared. The police helped to guide them away to safety,” the 36-year-old supervisor said.
Mr Ankush had called the SCDF when he first spotted the fire, but noticed police officers from the nearby Rochor Neighbourhood Police Centre rushing to the scene with fire extinguishers shortly after that.
He also saw nurses from a nearby dialysis centre evacuating patients in wheelchairs.
ST has contacted the police for more information.
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