Fire breaks out in bak kwa shop 2 days before Chinese New Year

SINGAPORE – A fire broke out in a shop selling bak kwa, or barbecued meat, in Little India on the afternoon of Feb 15, days before Chinese New Year.

The owner of Century Bakkwa, Ms Simbian Chua, posted on social media shortly after noon that the shop was on fire, adding that “there is 500kg of charcoal” on the premises. She said firefighters were on-site.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to a fire at 30 Dunlop Street at about 11.40am.

The fire involved contents of a kitchen exhaust ducting in a ground-floor unit, SCDF said, adding that the fire was extinguished with a water jet and a hose reel.

A person was assessed for breathing difficulties and another for minor injuries, SCDF said. Both declined to be taken to hospital.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Orders to be delivered on Feb 15 may be delayed by one to two days because of the fire, said Ms Chua, adding that customers who want a refund will be able to receive one.

An 11-second video that accompanied Ms Chua’s post showed a smoke-filled back alley where a row of shophouses are located.

When ST arrived at the scene at about 3.10pm, police officers were standing outside the shop conducting investigations. The area had also been cordoned off.

Ms Chua, who is in her 30s, told ST that she was alerted to the fire in the morning by one of her employees.

She said the fire started when a spark was caught in the exhaust pipe, which caused the pipe to catch fire.

There were three staff members in the shop when the fire broke out. One of them suffered from smoke inhalation, and another suffered burns on his hand, said Ms Chua.

Because of the fire, the shop is unable to fulfil about 400 orders from customers, which are worth about $100,000.

Ms Chua said she was willing to offer refunds to customers, but some still insisted on collecting their orders.

When asked how she felt about the incident, she said: “It’s okay, money can be earned again. But at least no one was seriously injured.”

The 1,000 sq ft flagship store was set up in 2021, according to a

2025 ST article

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An employee, Mr Kang Teck Seng, said he was barbecuing the meat when the exhaust pipe caught fire.

The 42-year-old said: “I saw smoke coming out from the exhaust pipe, and I quickly turned off the switch. My hands were burnt when I tried to pull the wire mesh off the charcoal stove.”

He and two other colleagues escaped through the back of the shop, he said.

When ST entered the shop after the cordon was removed, the power supply had been cut off.

Piles of uncooked bak kwa were left on the table.

Staff were seen removing packs of packaged bak kwa from the shop. Ms Chua said the stock was going to be delivered to their outlet at Wisma Atria.

SCDF reminded the public, especially stallholders, on the prevention of kitchen exhaust duct fires.

In an infographic, it said the stove, its surrounding area and the opening of exhaust ducts should be kept free from grease and oil stains. It added that people should clean the exhaust ducts, and have them maintained at least once a year.