Fire breaks
out at Tang Plaza; none injured
SINGAPORE: Part of the Tang Plaza building caught fire on
Tuesday morning (Mar 15).
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said the fire, outside
the third storey roof of the building, was first spotted by a
member of security staff around 9.10am. The staff alerted Tang
Plaza's fire command centre, which deployed its in-house
fire-fighting team.
An estimated 100 people also self-evacuated from the building
before the SCDF's arrival.
Fire fighters arrived at the scene at about 9.15am with two fire
engines, two fire bikes, two Red Rhinos, one ambulance and three
support vehicles, and were guided by Tang Plaza's fire-fighting
team to the location of the fire.
The flames were extinguished with one water jet and two hoses
within 20 minutes, and there were no injuries, the SCDF
said.
The Singapore Police Force confirmed it had investigated the
incident and found the fire to have been accidental. SCDF said it
was still investigating the exact cause of the fire.
At around 10.50am several SCDF officers were seen surveying the
damage after the flames had been extinguished.
While earlier reports suggested that the fire was at the
Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel, which is housed in Tang Plaza,
SCDF later clarified that the fire was confined to another part of
the building and the hotel was not affected.
STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF BUILDING NOT AFFECTED:
BCA
Engineers from the Building and Construction Authority (BCA)
inspected the site and found that the fire caused burn marks on the
exterior tiled roof structure of Tang Plaza. A professional
engineer appointed by the owner of the hotel found that the
structural integrity of the building is not affected, BCA
added.
The authority has directed the building owner to carry out a
detailed investigation and to recommend permanent rectification
works. In the interest of public safety, the area under the
affected roof has been cordoned off while investigations are
underway.
- CNA/mz