ST : People's Park fire started in illegal rooms

Apr 23, 2010

People's Park fire started in illegal rooms

SCDF to act against owner for serious fire safety violation

By Mavis Toh

WEDNESDAY'S fire at People's Park Complex started in some storerooms which had been built illegally at the fifth-floor carpark of the building, preliminary investigations showed.

The owner had not obtained approval from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) to convert the area from a carpark to storage rooms.

'This is a serious fire safety violation and SCDF will follow up to take action against the offender,' an SCDF spokesman said yesterday.

The fire at the mall had sent hundreds of tenants and shoppers scurrying out of the building.

While no one was hurt, the fire has raised the spectre of the blaze which gutted the former Robinsons department store at Raffles Place in 1972.

That fire killed nine people and destroyed $21 million worth of property.

While the number of fires at malls and shopping centres here has remained small, fire safety experts told The Straits Times that given the crowds at such places, even a small fire could have catastrophic consequences.

Last year, there were 47 fires at shopping malls, compared to 46 the year before. There were 13 such fires in the first three months of this year.

The SCDF spokesman added that mall fires are dangerous as the malls are frequented by the public and house a large quantity of merchandise which could fuel the flames.

Mr Tan Jin Thong, president of the National Safety Council of Singapore, said: 'People tend to panic and run when there's a fire. If the mall is congested, a stampede could result.'

He added that shoppers who are not familiar with the mall's escape routes could cause further panic and confusion. Escape routes not properly tested could also result in bottlenecks.

Mr David Goh, vice-president of the Fire Safety Managers' Association, said emergency exits and corridors choked with storage items such as cartons and crates could further hinder evacuations.

The experts said most mall fires are a result of overloaded electrical circuits, strewn cigarette butts or naked flames like candles.

Mr Alan Loh, chairman of the National Fire and Civil Emergency Preparedness Council, said that among other things, malls must have a fire safety manager and regular evacuation drills.

'Our fire requirements now are stringent and business operators should comply to ensure we don't have a repeat of the Robinsons fire,' said Mr Tan.

mavistoh@sph.com.sg