A FLUORESCENT light cast a dull glow along the sixth-floor corridor of Block 105, Jalan Bukit Merah.
The entire floor was flooded with water that firemen had used to put out a raging fire yesterday morning.
It was pitch black inside each of the eight abandoned one-room flats.
A burnt smell lingered in the air.
The silence was almost eerie - until the rustling of a plastic bag was heard in one unit.
I peeked through the door and Mr Poon Shu Min, 56, slowly walked out of the darkness.
Mr Poon has nowhere to stay because he missed the resettlement exercise. 'I don't have a place to stay,' he said. 'I am trying to pack. But I can't see a thing.'It was partly his fault.
He went missing when the authorities relocated his affected neighbours in the afternoon.
Around 6.15am yesterday, Mr Poon was awakened by the sound of a loud blast.
He looked out of the window and saw 'balls of fire' coming from his next-door neighbour's kitchen.
Mr Poon said he put on his pants and immediately walked out.
He then waited all morning at the void deck and tried to enter his flat at 2pm.
But the corridor was still barricaded and the authorities did not allow residents to enter.
So, while the rest of his neighbours continued waiting near the block, Mr Poon, a bachelor, decided to take a very long walk.
The odd-job worker said he had been out of work for a few months.
He returned only at about 8pm.
But by then, his neighbours had gone home or been relocated.
Mr Cheong, was luckier. Hewas allocated anew rental unit on the 10th floor. So he sat in his damaged rental flat, where he had lived for 20 years. His mother, who used to live with him, died in 1999.
Only his altar was untouched by the fire.
'My mattress is burnt. Gone,' he said.
In the dark flat, Mr Poon fumbled around and finally packed four shirts and hangers in a plastic bag.
He also took a roll of toilet paper, a metal cup and a pair of jeans.
The rest of his clothes were either charred or drenched.
Then holding plastic bags, he lit a cigarette and walked up and down the corridor.
Mr Poon had no idea where he was going.
'I will go to Housing Board (HDB) for help next morning.'
Just then, his sister appeared.
Ms Pan Ah Mei said she was not sure if she would take Mr Poon in, so they went to the void deck for a while to chat.
She said: 'I share a one-room flat in the next block with three others.'
Not everything was doom and gloom for other residents on the sixth floor though.
Mr Cheong Soon Onn, 65, was given a new, unoccupied rental unit on the 10th floor.
His sibling turned up and bought him a new mattress. He also managed to buy new toiletries and kitchenware in the afternoon.
When The New Paper spoke to Mr Cheong at about 10pm, he still did not have the time to take a bath, and his feet and face were covered with soot.
Mr Cheong said he had been sleeping in his 'underwear', a pair of sport shorts, when the fire started. He said he felt strange walking around the neighbourhood half-naked, all day.
He salvaged seven statues from his altar and a picture of a Buddha, a gift from his brother before he died.
'The gods saved my life,' he said. 'They protected me. And this Buddha picture is a vintage.'
Minister of State for Defence Koo Tsai Kee, who is also the Member of Parliament for the Tanjong Pagar area, visited the block yesterday morning and an emergency meeting was held with the authorities.
Victims who could not return to their flats were given temporary housing, while those who could were given help in cleaning up their homes.
Affected families were given $200 each in cash and vouchers.
Professor Koo said their needs would be assessed and more help is available
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