Fire breaks
out in heritage terrace house at Towner Road; no injuries
reported
SINGAPORE - An air-con unit in the bedroom of a heritage terrace
house along Towner Road caught fire on Wednesday (Oct 18)
afternoon, sending black smoke rising into the air.
There were no reported injuries. The Straits Times understands that
the house was unoccupied.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the
fire at 104 Towner Road at 2.19pm, and put it out using a water jet
and a compressed air foam backpack.
A fire engine, two fire bikes and a support vehicle were
dispatched.
The air-con unit was located on the second-floor of the house. SCDF
added that the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Environment control officer Mohamed Irwan Masop, 37, was in the
area to visit friends for Deepavali when he spotted a fire engine
and police cars outside the house.
"There was no evacuation and I didn't see any flames - only smoke,"
he said.
Ms Cheryl Huan, chief operating officer of Far East
Organization's corporate real estate business group, said in a
statement on Wednesday evening that the house was being prepared
for handover to an incoming tenant when the fire occurred.
"Everyone in the unit as well as the immediate neighbours were
evacuated to safety," she added. "We believe this is an isolated
incident. We are currently investigating the cause of the
fire.”
The colonial-style terrace house is part of the historic
Townerville estate, which consists of six blocks of 84 two-storey
units built in the 1920s.
Known for their distinct features such as high ceilings, open-air
courtyards and picture rails, they were restored by the government
at a cost of $12.4 million in 1990.
Far East Organization bought all 84 houses for $39 million that
same year in an open tender, and currently leases them out for
commercial and residential use.
-- ST