Fire at Choa Chu Kang coffee shop involved kitchen exhaust duct: SCDF

SINGAPORE: Fire broke out at a Choa Chu Kang coffee shop on Thursday (Dec 24) morning, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). 

SCDF said it was alerted to the fire at Block 787B Choa Chu Kang Drive at about 10.45am. 

Around 50 people had self-evacuated by the time officers arrived at the scene. 

"The fire involved a kitchen exhaust duct," said SCDF, adding that it extinguished the fire using two compressed air foam backpacks and seven dry powder extinguishers. 

No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

SCDF also advised the public to not leave cooking unattended. 

"Ensure that the stove, its surrounding area and especially the opening of the kitchen exhaust duct at each stall are free from grease and oil stains," said SCF. 

The kitchen exhaust duct must also be thoroughly cleaned at least once a year, it added. 

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Education Minister Lawrence Wong said the source of the fire was one of the food stalls. 

"Apparently, the wok caught fire due to overheating of the cooking oil," said Mr Wong, who is also an MP for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC. 

"The chef managed to turn off the gas supply but by then fire had already spread through the ventilation duct," he added. 

Mr Wong said that some stalls in the coffeeshop would be temporarily closed "until professional checks and rectification works are completed".