15 children, 4 adults injured after fire breaks out at River Valley Road shophouse

SINGAPORE – A girl died and 19 other people were injured after a fire broke out at a shophouse in River Valley Road on April 8.

Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam confirmed that a 10-year-old girl had died. He was speaking to reporters at Changi Airport, where he welcomed the Operation Lionheart contingent that arrived back in Singapore from Myanmar. 

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a statement on Facebook around noon that it was alerted to a fire at 278 River Valley Road at about 9.45am.

A check by ST shows that this is the listed address of Tomato Cooking School, which runs cooking lessons and camps for children.

A total of 15 children and four adults were taken to hospital, SCDF said.

In an update close to 3pm, SCDF said that another adult later sought medical assistance, bringing the total number of casualties taken to hospitals to 20.

When SCDF officers arrived at the scene, a fire was raging on the second and third floors of the three-storey shophouse, the statement said.

“Members of the public, including construction workers, used a metal scaffolding and a ladder to reach those stranded and brought a number of them to safety,” SCDF added.

SCDF officers deployed ladders to rescue those stranded on the ledge, while firefighters proceeded to the second and third floors.

The fire was extinguished within 30 minutes using three water jets.

About 80 people from the affected shophouse and nearby premises were evacuated.

Several Indian media outlets reported on April 8 that the son of Indian politician Pawan Kalyan was among those injured in the blaze.

A Facebook post by the JanaSena Party, which Mr Kalyan founded, said that the boy was involved in a “fire accident” at his school in Singapore.

The seven-year-old, who was identified as Mark Shankar, was said to have sustained injuries to his hands and legs, and suffered from smoke inhalation. He is undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Mr Kalyan was touring the Alluri Sitharama Raju district in Andhra Pradesh when he was informed of the news, according to The Times of India.

A spokesman for the party said that Mr Kalyan will be travelling to Singapore on April 8.

‘Like a scene out of a war zone’

In a video posted on Facebook at about 10am, thick black smoke is seen billowing from the windows of the third floor of the building.

A few people wearing high-visibility vests can be seen on a scaffolding reaching out to help those sitting on a ledge below the windows.

In another video, more than 10 people, including some who appear to be children, are seen sitting on the ledge. A few of them are seen being carried down to safety by the men on the scaffolding.

When ST arrived at the scene at around 10.50am, there were several police vehicles, four fire engines and a number of ambulances.

The road was cordoned off by the police, though onlookers had gathered around.

Speaking to ST, witnesses said there were as many as five people still inside the burning unit before SCDF officers entered the premises to rescue them.

Mr Shaik Amirudin, who owns the nearby Flex Fitness studio, said he heard a loud noise before a client who was leaving the studio told him about the smoke. He quickly evacuated the premises with the rest of his clients.

Seeing the children and their teachers on the building ledge, he rushed over to help and held on to the scaffolding as construction workers tried to rescue them.

“The construction workers and first responders sprung into action,” said the 31-year-old.

“It was like a scene out of a war zone,” he added. “There was a woman who appeared dazed, with soot on her face, shouting that there were still five children inside.”

He said that he later saw multiple children, who were motionless, being carried out of the premises by SCDF officers.

Mr Saran, a 33-year-old construction worker, said he and other workers ran over when they saw the smoke.

“I was scared – many children were inside the unit and crying. I saw we had the scaffolding, which was something that could help,” he said, adding that they rescued about 10 children.

Another construction worker, Mr Kannanthasan, 30, said he climbed the scaffolding to rescue the children and teachers, shortly before SCDF officers arrived.

“We would like to thank the members of the public who assisted in the rescue of the stranded persons for their quick actions and bravery,” SCDF said in its Facebook post.

Associate Professor Sashikumar Ganapathy, who heads the department of emergency medicine at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, confirmed that the hospital received casualties from the fire.

“Our immediate priority is to provide urgent medical care to these patients and to lend support to the caregivers,” he said.

The Straits Times has contacted the police for more information.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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