SINGAPORE: The fire at East Village Hotel at Marine
Parade Road was put out on Monday after five
hours.
Eleven people -- four children, five adults and two
fire-fighters -- were injured as a result of the
fire.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said one of
the fire-fighters suffered heat exhaustion, while the other
sustained burns to his hands after he tripped and fell.
Channel NewsAsia understands the four children and two of the
adults who sustained injuries are from the same family who came to
Singapore from Pakistan for a holiday.
The mother, who suffers from asthma, is being treated for smoke
inhalation.
SCDF received a call about the incident at 9.06am.
Lieutenant-Colonel Abdul Razak, SCDF's public affairs director,
said the fire was one of the more challenging fires SCDF has faced
in recent years.
Its fire-fighters used foam to tackle the blaze, which started in
the basement of the retail annexe. Foam is usually used in more
challenging situations.
SCDF said about 80 officers were deployed to battle the fire. It
also deployed six to eight Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team
(DART) officers to break through a wall.
Channel NewsAsia understands that the blaze could have started in a
restaurant under renovation.
Viewers, who called the Channel NewsAsia hotline in the morning,
said the hotel, which was located at 25 Marine Parade Road, was
engulfed in thick, black smoke.
One motorist, Mr Tan, said visibility along East Coast Road was
also affected by the smoke.
Far East Organization, which manages the East Village Hotel, said
in a statement that the fire occurred in a separate retail annexe
at about 8.30am.
All guests and staff have been accounted for and safely evacuated,
said Mr Raphael Saw, the CEO of Far East Organization's Hospitality
Business Group.
The few guests and workers who were affected by smoke inhalation
were receiving medical attention, while alternative arrangements
were being arranged for affected guests at Changi Village Hotel,
added Mr Saw.
Cherie Hearts @ Eastgate, a kindergarten and infant care centre at
46 East Coast Road, had asked parents to pick up their children
from the centre as the air quality in the area was affected.
- CNA/wm