[Fire @ Kusu Island]
At approximately 6.30pm yesterday on 17 April in the midst of a heavy downpour, SCDF’s marine and land-based firefighting forces responded to a fire at Kusu island, one of the offshore islands on the southern coast of Singapore.
SCDF dispatched a Marine Rescue Vessel (MRV) and a Rapid Response Fire Vessel (RFV) from Brani Marine Fire Station and West Coast Marine Fire Station. An additional firefighting crew from Marina Bay Fire Station was also despatched and responded to aboard the RFV.
Upon SCDF’s arrival at the island, the fire was raging at a cluster of shrines located on top of a hill.
Using the MRV as a water pump, the firefighters laid a vast number of hoses from the jetty to the top of the hill, covering a distance of about 520 meters. The fire was extinguished with two water jets within an hour of SCDF’s arrival on the island.
There were no reported injuries. Damping down* operations are ongoing. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
*Damping down refers to the application of water to burnt surfaces immediately after a fire is put out. It is to prevent any potential rekindling of fire from hot burnt surfaces.