For many Jurong West residents, there is a sudden void in their lives. Afterall, the wet market was where they spent a good part of their day. Several residents whom TODAY spoke to over the past week were still grappling with the loss, while the market is being prepared for demolition.

Previously, the market was a hive of activity, often bustling with crowds, some travelling all the way from Choa Chu Kang and even Punggol and Sengkang, said clothing store owner Wendy Kiu, 38, who grew up in the area.

Mdm Latifah, 50, a housewife who stays at Boon Lay, is a regular visitor to the area. She used to buy her groceries from the friendly stallholders who made it a point to remember her orders. “I don’t usually carry plastic bags, so they always remember that … And whenever I go there, it seems like they know what I’m going to buy. It seems like they are family,” she said.

Often, the coffee shops near the market would be so packed with customers that there were barely enough tables available, said Mdm Wong Kim Yok, 80, who runs a medical hall and has lived at Block 494 for the past 30 years. The carpark behind the market was often full, and people would complain about not getting lots, she added. “But in the blink of an eye, it’s gone. Nobody comes by anymore,” she lamented in Mandarin.

Another resident, Mdm Ng, 61, said she would miss the stalls — the ones selling Thai fried rice and kuay chap, in particular — at the coffee shops. She used to buy food there every day. “I miss it, and it’s a pity that they are now gone. I just hope they can quickly start their businesses again,” she said in Mandarin.

Mr Ang Wei Neng (standing), MP for Jurong GRC, speaking to stallholders affected by the Jurong West fire, at Jurong Green Community Centre on Oct 13, 2016. Photo: Robin Choo/TODAY

A new temporary market — a few blocks away — is likely to be ready in time for Chinese New Year, Jurong GRC MP Ang Wei Neng assured the stallholders earlier this week during a meeting with them.

It could not come sooner for fortune teller Chua Hock Seng, 51, who already misses the area’s kampung spirit.

Mdm Betsy Tan, who has been running a minimart at Block 494 for the past decade, recalled how the stallholders helped one another, including setting aside vegetables or other goods for her to buy later. “This place is like an old people’s town … Everyone knows one another and we’re always greeting one another,” she said.

In the days after the fire, several shopkeepers from nearby blocks pooled together a sum of money to help those affected get by. One of them, Mdm Goh, 58, said: “We’re so used to it because we pass by it every day, so we might have (overlooked it), but suddenly it’s gone … Knowing that these stallholders have to start from scratch, we know it’s not that easy.”

While there are enough coffee shops and markets nearby that residents can turn to for their daily needs, Mr Yip insisted that things were not the same as before. He simply misses the buzz and the people. “There’s a lot of emptiness now, everyone is wondering where these stallholders are going and what their lives are going to be like.”