A fierce inferno that ignited at a Kranji warehouse on Wednesday (Feb 19) has finally been extinguished after a grueling four-day battle, announced the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) on Sunday.
The relentless blaze, fueled by waste materials, erupted on Wednesday morning at 11 Kranji Crescent, the premises belonging to recycling and waste management enterprise Wah & Hua. Despite significant progress in quelling the flames by Wednesday night, the firefighting efforts persisted as stubborn pockets of fire lingered beneath the surface.
In a recent update posted on Sunday, SCDF disclosed that they had toiled ceaselessly over the past four days, working around the clock to smother the residual smoldering embers within the waste heaps. “SCDF is in the process of reducing our resources. To err on the side of caution, a fire engine and crew will remain stationed at the site to surveil the area affected by the fire,” the statement read. “SCDF will gradually hand over the site to the property owner for their recovery operations.”
The billowing smoke from the inferno was visible from various vantage points such as Jurong East, Bukit Panjang, Woodlands, and the Causeway. Upon the arrival of CNA representatives at the scene around 2:45 pm, the site was bustling with activity as more than seven fire engines and at least two ambulances were deployed. Another fire engine swiftly joined the fray less than an hour later. Nearby workers were promptly evacuated from their workplaces for safety measures, with one individual being rushed to the hospital due to smoke inhalation and burn injuries.
This catastrophic blaze marks the fourth fire incident to ravage the warehouse in a mere span of seven years. Previous fire outbreaks at the facility had occurred in 2018, 2023, and 2024. Shedding light on the aftermath of the conflagration, the National Environment Agency (NEA) divulged to CNA on Thursday that a joint investigation with SCDF was underway. “The decision to take action will hinge on the conclusions drawn from the investigation,” NEA stated. Additionally, NEA expressed its commitment to collaborating with pertinent agencies to revise guidelines concerning the safe handling of waste materials should new insights emerge from this incident.
Despite numerous attempts to solicit a response from Wah & Hua regarding the calamitous event, CNA’s inquiries went unanswered.
