Stomper puts out Hougang grass fire with 2 bottles of water before SCDF arrives
A former Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) serviceman put his experience to use when he spotted a small grass fire in Hougang on Sept 10.
Stomper Roger told Stomp that he had parked his bus in the heavy vehicle parking area near Block 38 Defu Lane 10 at about 1pm and was heading for lunch when he noticed smoke coming from a grass patch.
“I noticed some smoke and saw a small patch of grass on fire,” the 51-year-old said.
Roger immediately called 995 before retrieving two 1.5-litre bottles of water from his bus.
“I used the two bottles of water to extinguish the fire,” he said, adding that no one else assisted him.
Photos and a video he shared show a charred patch of grass with smoke still rising from it. A metal burner can also be seen nearby.
Roger said the SCDF arrived about eight minutes later.
He shared that he previously served with the SCDF for 11 years, during which he drove fire engines and helped manage water supply during operations.
Roger now works as a private bus captain for local tour groups and corporate shuttle services.
He suspected the fire could have been related to the burning of joss paper for the seventh lunar month, also known as the Hungry Ghost month, noting that Sept 10 marked the end of the period and that a burner had been put out nearby.
In response to a Stomp query, the SCDF said it was alerted to a fire at about 1pm.
The fire involved a patch of vegetation measuring about 1.5m by 2m.
Members of public extinguished the fire using water prior to SCDF’s arrival, it said.
There were no reported injuries and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
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