Recycling bin goes up in flames in Sengkang, Stomper grabs hose as fire spreads towards plants
A Sengkang resident sprang into action after spotting a recycling bin engulfed in flames at the foot of his block on Aug 10.
The fire broke out at Block 289B Compassvale Crescent at about 8pm.
Stomper Gabriel said he first realised something was amiss when he noticed that the wall of his block looked “unusually bright”.
“When I stepped outside to check what was happening downstairs, I realised that one of the rubbish bins was already melting because of a large fire,” he said.
He immediately went downstairs, moved nearby bins away from the flames and called the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
However, he was told that someone had already reported the fire and a fire engine was on the way.
Footage shared with Stomp shows flames tearing through the recycling bin, with parts of it appearing to melt from the heat.
Gabriel said strong winds caused the flames to spread towards plants next to the burning bin, making him concerned that the fire would get out of control.
“I noticed that none of the bystanders were stepping forward to respond to the situation,” he said.
“Seeing the fire getting closer to the surrounding area, I decided to step in while waiting for the firefighters to arrive.”
He opened the bin chute shutter, grabbed a hose and began spraying water at the flames.
The Stomper continued until SCDF personnel arrived and took over.
In response to a Stomp query, SCDF said it was alerted to the fire at about 8.10pm.
“The fire involved the contents of a recycling bin at the ground floor,” an SCDF spokesperson said.
“The fire was extinguished by members of the public using a domestic hose before SCDF’s arrival.”
There were no reported injuries and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
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