SINGAPORE - Ms Jessica Ong and her husband Xiang Liang lost nearly everything in their flat when a fire broke out last Tuesday (April 11).

The couple were away working, and only found out about the fire when the authorities called them.

Their one-room flat at Serangoon North was blackened and all the furniture was in disarray, photos and a video showed.

The images were shared on Facebook by a friend of the couple's, Faizal Khalid on Saturday. He asked his friends to help the couple by donating household goods or cash.

"Ladarious Lawrence and Jessica Ong home was severely burn down due to an explosion of his home refrigerator," said Mr Faizal on Facebook. Ladarious Lawrence is the Facebook user name of Ms Ong's husband.

Ms Ong, 25, told The Straits Times that most of the couple's possessions were burnt or in a bad condition.

It was their first time renting a flat from the Housing & Development Board (HDB), and they did not know they had to buy fire insurance, she said.

The Straits Times understands that HDB's fire insurance does not cover the resident's personal belongings.

Ms Ong said that they moved into another unit in the same block - Block 157, Serangoon North Avenue 1 - but had no furniture or appliances.

They have begun to receive donations of a bed, other furniture and kitchenware now.

She and her husband, 23, are both drivers for UberEats.

"Financially we're still tight,and stressed out but we'll try to figure things out eventually," she said.

She suspects that the fridge, which they bought brand-new last March, was where the fire started as only an empty shell of the appliance was left after the fire.

But she is waiting for the results of the investigation for a confirmation, she added.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire at 6.50pm on April 11. It was put out by SCDF using one water jet.