A fire broke out at Golden Mile Complex this afternoon (Oct 1), causing the building to be shut for hours and its occupants evacuated.The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to the incident at 4.37pm. Upon its arrival, fire was well alight inside an electrical room at the loading/unloading bay on the ground floor, the SCDF said.
“Many shops on the first floor suddenly blacked out at about 4.20pm. Then we saw people running out of the building half an hour later. There was a lot of smoke,” said Ms Glenda Tan, who works at Transtar Travel, a travel agency housed in the complex.
The SCDF said about 200 people self-evacuated prior to its arrival.
However, some were trapped when the lifts stopped working. SCDF firefighters pried open the lift door on the eighth floor and rescued two women. One of them, a Chinese in her 60s, was sent to the hospital as she complained of breathlessness.
Five others were stuck in a lift on the 10th floor but were freed by a lift technician who opened the lift door.
When TODAY arrived at the scene at 7.30pm, the building was pitch black and cordoned off by the police.
Police officers at the scene told TODAY: “The entire generator was burnt, and they are working on getting the power supply up again but it will take a while.”
The officers said it is “highly likely” that the building will be cordoned off through the night. However, residents were allowed to enter in batches, led by police officers armed with torches.
“Many shops on the first floor suddenly blacked out at about 4.20pm. Then we saw people running out of the building half an hour later. There was a lot of smoke,” said Ms Glenda Tan, who works at Transtar Travel, a travel agency housed in the complex.
The SCDF said about 200 people self-evacuated prior to its arrival.
However, some were trapped when the lifts stopped working. SCDF firefighters pried open the lift door on the eighth floor and rescued two women. One of them, a Chinese in her 60s, was sent to the hospital as she complained of breathlessness.
Five others were stuck in a lift on the 10th floor but were freed by a lift technician who opened the lift door.
When TODAY arrived at the scene at 7.30pm, the building was pitch black and cordoned off by the police.
Police officers at the scene told TODAY: “The entire generator was burnt, and they are working on getting the power supply up again but it will take a while.”
The officers said it is “highly likely” that the building will be cordoned off through the night. However, residents were allowed to enter in batches, led by police officers armed with torches.
