A RAGING fire in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 last night razed an entire market and food centre the size of six basketball courts.
DEVESTATING BLAZE: The 232 stalls at the centre were burnt to the ground, leaving only charred remnants. No injuries were reported at press time. -- PHOTO: COURTESY OF JASMINE TEOThe flames devoured the 232 stalls at Ang Mo Kio market and food centre in Block 628A, leaving only charred remnants by the time the fire was put under control about two hours later.
No injuries were reported at press time, when pockets of flames were still being doused.
But more than 100 people eating and drinking at the centre at about 9.30pm had to dash to safety, because the fire spread so quickly, said eyewitnesses.
Stallholder Alvin Teo, 47, who runs a Hokkien mee stall there, told The Straits Times that he was having a drink with several fellow stallholders and friends when they heard a loud bang.
Some among the group, who had gone for fire-safety training, saw flames and smoke coming from the back of the market and tried to put them out with a fire extinguisher.
But the wall of flame soon forced them to run for safety.
'The fire was spreading too fast for us to make a difference, even with an extinguisher,' Mr Teo said.
'As we ran, we shouted for others who were trying to save their valuables to leave immediately, as there were gas pipes which could explode.'
Indeed, a string of explosions were soon heard, even by residents in neighbouring blocks.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said 40 firefighters and 12 fire-fighting vehicles arrived within three minutes of receiving a call and began dousing the flames from all angles.
Related Video Link - http://tinyurl.com/28xpjrFire guts Ang Mo Kio market
A raging fire in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 razed an entire market and food centre, the size of six basketball courts.
The flames devoured the 232 stalls at Ang Mo Kio market and food centre in Block 628A, leaving only charred remnants by the time the fire was put under control about two hours later.
The incident happened at about 9.30pm on Tuesday. There've been no reports of injuries.
Police cordoned off the area and the elite Special Operations Command officers were deployed to help keep the situation under control.
The large area covered by the fire posed a challenge for firefighters, said an SCDF spokesman.
'It was difficult to penetrate the middle of the market, where the fire was raging most strongly,'' he said.
They are investigating the cause of the fire.
Stunned stall owners, who stood outside the cordon watching their businesses go up in smoke, said many had been at the centre since it opened in 1980.
Said Mr Teo's wife, Mrs Wendy Teo, in Mandarin: 'I have been working here since I finished school when I was 18, and this business supported my family.
'It is so painful to see it gone in an instant.'
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