Fire breaks out opposite 17 Punggol Field Walk

By AM Lee

PUNGGOL FIRE: A fire broke out at a school under construction opposite 17 Punggol Field Walk on Tuesday (May 16, 2017) afternoon.

In videos, black smoke is shown rising from the half-constructed Global Indian International School building and two explosions can be heard about 4.30pm.

Workers were evacuated and assembled at an emergency evacuation site, and fire engines arrived at about 4.40pm. However, two workers were trapped on a gondola lift.

After the fire broke out, the electricity was cut off to the gondola, stranding the men.

Two men being rescued from a gondola that had stopped working. Two SCDF officers rappelled down from the roof and rescued the men, who appeared calm.

The fire broke out at Hon Industries Pte Ltd’s worksite at Punggol Field, where the school is being constructed, a MOM spokesperson said. MOM is investigating the incident, he added.

“The Occupier has confirmed that the 2 workers who were previously stranded in the gondola has been rescued, while the remaining workers have been accounted for,” the spokesperson said.

In a Facebook live video posted by Mr Chegu Thamrin, the gondola can be seen and the fire appears to have abated.

The police at 5.24pm posted an advisory on their Facebook page saying the left and centre lanes along Punggol East Road were closed.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force said in a Facebook post at 5pm that it was at the scene conducting firefighting operations.

[Fire opposite 17 Punggol Field Walk]

SCDF has been alerted to a fire at a construction site opposite 17 Punggol Field Walk. SCDF is at scene conducting firefighting operations.

SGSecure mobile app users and StarHub mobile subscribers within the immediate vicinity of the fire incident would have received an advisory message urging members of public to stay away from the area.

**This SMS messaging service is now confined to StarHub mobile subscribers only.**

The fire is under control and *damping down operations is currently in progress.

*Damping down is a term used by SCDF to describe the application of water to wet burnt surfaces immediately after the fire is put out. This is to prevent any potential rekindle of fire from the hot burnt surfaces.

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