30 people evacuated after fire breaks out in Kovan home

SINGAPORE – Thirty people were evacuated after a fire broke out at a two-storey house in Kovan on Sept 5, partially damaging another house and sending thick plumes of smoke in the air.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), who were alerted to the fire at Simon Lane in the Kovan area at about 3pm, said firefighters used three water jets to surround, contain and extinguish the fire.

A person from the house that caught fire managed to leave the premises before SCDF officers arrived, and a neighbouring house was partially damaged by the blaze.

As a precaution, the police and SCDF evacuated about 30 people from neighbouring units.

One of them was assessed for smoke inhalation and taken to Singapore General Hospital.

Damping down of the affected area to prevent any potential rekindling of the fire is ongoing, said SCDF, adding that the cause of the fire is under investigation.

When The Straits Times arrived at the scene at about 4.30pm, clouds of smoke were seen billowing from the house, shrouding the surrounding area.

At least two SCDF vehicles, including a Light Fire Attack Vehicle, commonly known as the Red Rhino, and a police car were at the scene.

Vincent Lim, 74, chairman of Phoh Kiu Siang T’ng temple, located just a few doors down from the house that caught fire, told ST he noticed the fire at around 3pm.

He said he immediately called SCDF before rushing to the house to help its residents, an elderly couple in their 80s.

An elderly man was later seen being wheeled away from the site by an SCDF officer, before getting into a waiting car.

In February, six people were rescued from a blaze that broke out in a two-storey condominium unit in Kovan. Three of the people rescued were taken to hospital, with one suffering burns.

The total number of fires in Singapore increased by 3 per cent from 1,990 cases in 2024 to 2,050 cases in 2025, based on SCDF’s annual statistics report. Of these, 1,051 involved fires at residential buildings.

Unattended cooking and electrical fires – including faults in electrical wiring or overloaded sockets – remained the top two causes of home fires.