Woman arrested after fire breaks out in Sembawang HDB flat

A 46-year-old woman was arrested after a fire broke out in a Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat in Sembawang on Monday (June 30), authorities said, after she was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. 

Responding to media queries from The Straits Times, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and police said they were alerted to the incident at about 5.15pm on 30 June at Block 512 Wellington Circle.

According to SCDF, the fire involved the bedroom of a unit on the 10th floor. Firefighters extinguished the blaze using a water jet.

The 46-year-old woman was conscious when she was taken to Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation, the authorities said.

Police later arrested her for alleged mischief by fire. Investigations are ongoing.

SCDF said the cause of the fire is being investigated.

Photos and videos shared on Facebook and other social media platforms on 30 June showed thick black smoke and flames billowing from the windows of the affected unit, with the smoke rising as high as the roof of the residential block.

Other videos circulating online also showed several SCDF emergency vehicles at the scene while firefighters battled the blaze. A crowd of onlookers gathered at the void deck as emergency responders carried out firefighting operations.

The incident comes as residential fires in Singapore rose in 2025.

According to SCDF's annual statistics report released in February, the total number of fires increased by 3 per cent from 1,990 cases in 2024 to 2,050 cases in 2025.

Of those, 1,051 fires occurred in residential buildings, representing an 8.6 per cent increase from the 968 cases recorded in 2024.

SCDF said unattended cooking and electrical fires, including faults in electrical wiring or overloaded sockets, remained the two leading causes of residential fires.