The intention was well-meaning, but unfortunately it lead to a something far more devastating.
A man had left the fan in his home switched on last Saturday so that his two pet dogs could stay chill in his three-room HDB flat in Queenstown.
The unit ended up in flames, The Straits Times reports.
20 residents from nearby units of Block 169 along Stirling Road had to be evacuated that evening. The fire was first detected when a neighbour smelled a strong burning scent, and discovered smoke wafting out from his flat.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) were called in, and firefighters were forced to break open the main door of the unit to put out the fire inside. The fire itself involved a water cooling fan unit in the living room, which was put out by a fire extinguisher.
The flat owner said that he switched on the fan before leaving the house as he wanted his dogs to be comfortable in the hot weather. Fortunately for him, his dogs escaped unscathed — they were just covered in soot.
