A fire that engulfed the four-room flat at Block 886B, Woodlands Drive 50 around 4:10pm on Friday was sparked off by what’s believed to be the explosion of an electric scooter battery. Shah Rizal Abdul Razak — who has shared the Build-To-Order apartment with his wife and four cats for three years — was able to flee, even though he was in the same room when the explosion happened.
Unfortunately, even though a brave Singapore Civil Defence Force officer attempted to save his pets, two of his cats weren’t so lucky.
With the walls and floors of the flat blackened and furniture destroyed, the 34-year-old civil servant handed it over to Housing Board contractors, who said they would restore the flat to its original BTO condition. Unfortunately, that would only cover the basics, and the cost of renovating the space could range from $20,000 to $30,000.
Luckily for the couple, they were surrounded by people with kind souls and generous hearts. Their neighbors came together to donate cash and furniture to the pair — one lady even put up a call for help on Facebook to ask for assistance in any way.
According to The Straits Times, some of the items that the couple received included a kitchen cabinet, a wardrobe, a new TV set, and electrical appliances. People also gave them cash that amounted to more than $1,000 so far.
“It’s quite overwhelming and unexpected,” he said. “It’s mostly cash and appliances from strangers we have totally never met before.”
Both are living at a friend’s flat in the same block for now, and the donated items have not been handed over to them yet, as they do not have any storage space.
“I’m still traumatized, but everyone stepping forward to help — especially my neighbors — has definitely helped to ease the trauma. That makes me happier and not think about it so much,” he told ST.
Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC MP Ong Teng Koon, who met the couple at their home on Monday, reassured them that he would hurry the HDB contractors to complete their repairs. The flat is expected to be as good as new in about one to two months.
If you’d like to help ’em out, you can reach the couple at kenshiriz@gmail.com.
