SINGAPORE: Fire broke out in the Pioneer industrial estate on Monday (Mar 9) evening, "fully engulfing" a warehouse at 18 Jalan Besut and sending thick black smoke into the sky.

In a Facebook post, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire at about 8.10pm.



"Upon SCDF's arrival, the fire had fully engulfed a warehouse," it said, adding that it was operating three water jets and two unmanned firefighting machines to fight the flames.

The building is occupied by Chasen Logistics, which transports equipment for manufacturing.

The fire was brought under control after about five hours, according to a later SCDF update on Facebook.

More than 50 people had "self-evacuated" from the premises prior to SCDF's arrival, and there were no reported injuries, said SCDF.





A warehouse along Jalan Besut caught fire on Mar 9, 2020. (Photo: Vanessa Lim)

About 80 firefighters and a total of 31 emergency vehicles were deployed to fight the fire, said SCDF. These included seven water jets, two unmanned firefighting machines and two monitors.



"Due to the intense heat of the fire, the warehouse’s zinc roof had completely collapsed, which trapped the fire underneath it and hindered the firefighters’ immediate access to the seat of the fire," said SCDF. "Having surrounded the fire, the firefighters inched their way through the rubble of heated metal to extinguish the fire."



The fire involved the warehouse's contents, including plywood, household electrical appliances and furniture.

The fire "fully engulfed" a warehouse at 18 Jalan Besut. (Photo: Facebook / Singapore Civil Defence Force)



Photos and videos sent in by CNA readers showed thick black smoke in the sky above the industrial estate.

Eyewitness Joanne Peng said she noticed the smoke at about 8.10pm from Bukit Batok.

"There is no smoke smell or sound of explosion. Just a steady stream of black smoke consistently building up," said Ms Peng.

A warehouse along Jalan Besut caught fire on Mar 9, 2020. (Photo: Facebook/SCDF)

SCDF officers put out a fire at a warehouse along Jalan Besut on Mar 9, 2020. (Photo: Facebook/SCDF)

In a video taken by an employee of Chasen Logistics, a person can be heard yelling "come down" as someone else runs away from the building on fire.

More than five firefighting vehicles and police cars were at the scene when CNA arrived at about 9pm.



In its update on Tuesday morning, SCDF said damping down operations were ongoing, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.



Additional reporting by Vanessa Lim.

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