SINGAPORE - Investigations into the Kranji warehouse that caught fire on Feb 19 are being conducted to ensure it followed the relevant licensing and fire safety equipment.
This as the firm is not licensed to store toxic materials, said Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor in Parliament on March 6.
The blaze was so huge, it took Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) firefighters four days to extinguish it.
She said: “The facility contained materials such as paper, plastics, glass, scrap metal, wood waste and e-waste. But it is not licensed to store toxic industrial waste or hazardous substances.”
She said the National Environment Agency (NEA) and SCDF are conducting investigations to determine if the firm had breached any regulations.
One person was taken to the hospital for burn injuries and smoke inhalation.
Dr Khor was responding to questions from Non-Constituency MP Hazel Poa, who had asked if nearby residents had been exposed to toxic pollutants from the blaze.
Dr Khor said the nearest residents were some 2km away.
She said air quality in the area had remained within the normal range over the four-day period, when the fire was being put out, based on measurements taken by the NEA.
She added NEA works with the SCDF to ensure such facilities continuously review fire safety measures.
This comes as the recycling and waste management firm received seven citations for fire safety violations between 2018 and 2024.
Four fire hazard abatement notices were given for violations such as faulty exit signs and obstructions to exit doors, hose reels and fire extinguishers.
Three notices of offence were handed out for more severe offences such as unauthorised fire safety works involving the erection of a steel platform.
Dr Khor said all the cited violations had been rectified by the firm.
SCDF had previously responded to three fires there in 2018, 2023 and 2024.
Investigations revealed these fires were accidental, due to either smouldering embers or the spontaneous ignition of general waste materials.
In response to Ms Poa, Minister of State for Home Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said SCDF will continue to adopt an escalatory approach when enforcing against breaches of fire safety regulations.
This will range from abatement notices and composition fines for minor cases of non-compliance, to higher fines and prosecution in court for repeat offenders.
He said: “We will not hesitate, not only to take action, (but) to continue to do inspections, making sure that they are safe… we will continue to ensure that fire safety is well adhered to by owners.”
On Feb 21, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) ordered the facility’s owner to close off access to affected structures.
BCA had discovered the metal roof in a single-storey warehouse and part of the roof of a two-storey office building had collapsed in the aftermath of the fire.
The owners have since been instructed to appoint a professional engineer to assess the structures and recommend immediate safety measures.
They must carry out a detailed investigation and propose permanent rectification works.
SCDF’s annual statistics showed the total number of fires rose from 1,954 cases in 2023 to 1,990 in 2024.
The number of fires at industrial premises dropped from 106 cases in 2023, to 98 in 2024.
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