SINGAPORE — Three people were taken to hospital after a fire broke out at a Bukit Batok Housing and Development Board flat on Thursday (July 18) morning, with one of them in critical condition. 

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it responded to the fire at a home on the 26th floor of Block 293D, Bukit Batok Street 21 at 12.40am.

“SCDF firefighters wearing breathing apparatus sets conducted forcible entry into the heavily smoke-logged unit,” it said in a Facebook post, adding that the fire involved the contents of the living room and was extinguished using two water jets.

Member of Parliament for Bukit Batok Murali Pillai said on Facebook that the cause of the fire was traced to two e-scooters.

He also posted photos of what appear to be charred remains of the two e-scooters. 

“Firefighters rescued a man and a woman from the burning unit,” the SCDF said, adding that the man was found unconscious with burn injuries and taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH).

He has since been transferred to Singapore General Hospital (SGH).

The woman was conveyed to SGH for smoke inhalation while a third person — an elderly man — was injured during evacuation and taken to NTFGH. 

In all, some 70 people from the affected block were evacuated.

An SGH spokesperson said that the male patient — who is in his 40s — is in a critical condition while the female — who is in her 30s — is in a stable condition. 

SGH could not comment on the type of injuries the patients had sustained. 

A picture of the burnt unit — which was shared in the SCDF Facebook post — shows the living room charred beyond recognition and that some of the windows had been broken. 

The photo also shows smoke marks stretching to as high as the ceiling and the room covered in soot. Burnt remains of what appear to be a couch and a coffee table can also be seen. 

SCDF is investigating the cause of the fire. TODAY has contacted NTFGH for more details on the third victim’s conditions. 

Mr Pillai thanked the SCDF and the police for their “quick response and action” as well as community volunteers who opened the Residents Network centre for the affected residents to rest. 

“We are very fortunate to have such wonderful volunteers who are prepared to swing into action to help our community in times of emergency,” he wrote.