Ameirul was at the 14th floor when a fire broke out in a Housing & Development Board (HDB) flat at a Serangoon rental block.
According to Ameirul, he heard a loud explosion and looked out from the window to find the source of the loud noise. He found thick black smoke coming out from 13th floor, with the whole building filled with an unpleasant burning smell.
Worried that there might be people trapped in the flat, he immediately ran to 13th floor to check.
Ameirul said, “At that time, the windows were already cracked, the floor was filled with broken pieces of glass, I looked in but did not see anyone, only saw that the fridge was still on fire.”
He quickly activated the fire alarm, and at the same time, asked his sister to help evacuate the neighbours. They split up to knock on doors and alert residents, working fast to help evacuate almost 70 neighbors before Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel arrived.
When asked about what went through his head during the fire, he said, “This flat has one room or two rooms units, many elderly live here, I’m worried that they may not know how to escape.”