Tenants seek compensation
SOOTY air conditioning ducts, faulty computers, drenched carpets
and documents and stained ceiling boards. This was the aftermath of
last Wednesday's fire at People's Park Complex that caused a mass
evacuation.
Several tenants are considering seeking compensation for the
damage caused by the fire, which started in a reportedly illegal
storeroom on the fifth floor of the building.
'We are seriously considering the neccesary claims for
compensation,' said Mr S H Almenoar, 66, a partner at law firm R
Ramason & Almenoar. It is located one storey below on the
fourth floor.
Water used to put out the fire, dripped from the ceiling and
soaked a few stacks of case files and damaged two computers - now
fixed - belonging to the law firm. New ceiling boards, that the
firm had just installed a few months ago, were also stained with
brown water marks - although the flooded fifth floor was drained on
Thursday.
Mr Wilson Goh, complex manager at SCMS Property Management,
which manages People's Park Complex, could not be reached for
comments at press time.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said the owner did not
have its approval to convert the fifth-floor carpark space into
storage rooms nor to build the stores. 'This is a serious
fire-safety violation and SCDF will follow up to take action
against the offender,' it said in a statement.
-- ST
