An overheated wok caused a fire to break out at a hawker centre in Telok Blangah yesterday morning.

At least 12 stalls were affected after the gas supply was cut as a result, Chinese-language paper Shin Min Daily News reported.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it responded to the fire at 11 Telok Blangah Crescent at 9.08am.

The fire involved a wok in a hawker stall, the SCDF said. No injuries were reported.

The first firefighter at the scene observed flames coming from a partially covered wok and tried to extinguish it with water.

However, the flames grew bigger, leading the firefighter to use a dry powder fire extinguisher and a compressed air foam backpack to put out the fire. He was subsequently assisted by arriving SCDF officers.

The SCDF said the fire also affected a kitchen exhaust duct at the hawker centre.

Shin Min reported that the fire started at a hawker stall which sells fried fish cakes.

The stall owner, Mr Zhang Chuanrong, 35, told Shin Min that he was cleaning up his stall and preparing for the next day's business when the fire started. He had been heating oil when it overheated and the stove did not turn off automatically. Instead, sparks appeared, he said. The fire grew larger and spread to the exhaust duct above his stall.

His stall had been closed for the past few days and there were not a lot of ingredients on the premises, he added, saying that his estimated losses from the fire were not major.

The owner of a fishball noodle stall nearby said the gas supply for her unit was cut off.

A video of firefighters putting out the fire was posted on social media, showing SCDF officers asking passers-by to keep away from the scene.

The SCDF said preliminary investigation revealed that the fire was due to overheating.

Choo Yun Ting