SINGAPORE - The number of fires at general waste disposal facilities has dropped sharply in recent years, after the authorities stepped up fire safety awareness efforts in 2022.
Since then, the average number of fires a year has almost halved – from 16 in 2021 and 2022 to nine in the last two years, according to data provided by the National Environment Agency (NEA).
The number of citations issued to such facilities for fire safety violations have also tumbled from 51 in 2023 to 12 in 2024, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told The Straits Times.
[A massive blaze at a recycling plant in Kranji](/singapore/politics/kranji-fire-scdf-nea-investigating-if-facility-stored-unlicensed-toxic-waste-hazardous-substances) on Feb 19 renewed public scrutiny of fire safety in the sector.
The flames took four days to put out and marked the fourth fire at 11 Kranji Crescent, the address of recycling and waste management firm Wah & Hua, since 2018.
The firm was cited seven times for fire safety violations between 2018 and 2024, three of which were for more serious offences, such as carrying out fire safety works involving the erection of a steel platform without SCDF’s approval.
The authorities are probing if it flouted any fire safety regulations, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor had said in Parliament on March 6.
Of the 440 general waste disposal facilities here, the majority reported no fires in the last five years, said NEA.
General waste disposal facilities are those that receive, store, process or treat general waste, and includes recycling facilities.
The agency has since 2022 boosted efforts to raise fire safety awareness. Dialogue sessions and industry advisories were rolled out in partnership with the SCDF, the Ministry of Manpower and the Waste Management and Recycling Association of Singapore, said NEA.
SCDF said it also conducts inspections, both scheduled and ad hoc from tip-offs by the public, to check for fire hazards.
These may include faulty hose reels or fire exit signs and obstruction to exit doors and staircases.
Errant firms may be issued written warnings to correct fire hazards by a fixed deadline, known as a fire hazard abatement notice, or a notice of offence for “very serious” cases of non-compliance, said SCDF.
Those slapped with a notice of offence may face up to $5,000 in composition fines after rectifying the hazard or be prosecuted if they fail to do so.
Of the 12 citations issued by SCDF in 2024, six were fire hazard abatement notices and six notices of offence.
In 2023, it gave out 27 fire hazard abatement notices and 24 notices of offence.
A spokesman for fire prevention specialist firm Linkgas told ST: “The nature of stored waste – ranging from paper and plastics to hazardous chemicals – makes these facilities susceptible to fire outbreaks.”
These fires can be “deep-seated”, which means they burn beneath the rubble, he said, making them difficult to reach and more time-consuming to extinguish.
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