A 27-year-old clerk who was badly burned in a shophouse fire in Hougang early Thursday morning has died.

Miss Ng Li Hua, 27, who suffered nearly 90 per cent burns, died at 6.20 pm at the Singapore General Hospital's Burns Unit.

Meanwhile, her brother, Mr Ng Yong Soon, 25, a shop assistant, is missing. Mr Ng had, with Ms Ng and their parents, run out of their third-floor HDB flat when the fire broke out at 1.28 am on Thursday. Their flat was directly above the burning shop in Block 683, Hougang Avenue 8.

His anguished parents are hoping that the victim who died in the early-morning fire, which damaged three shophouses, is not their missing son.

Police are trying to identify the dead man who was found at the foot of the staircase between the two burning shop units. His body was charred beyond recognition.

Earlier on Thursday, Mr Ng Ah Tee, 59, a bus captain, said he and his wife, Madam Au Kim Luan, 57, a housewife, who were keeping a vigil outside their daughter's ward, were mentally prepared for the worst.

Recounting the horrors of the fire, Mr Ng told The Straits Times at the SGH's Burns Unit that his daughter woke the family and told them to get out of their flat when the blaze started.

He and his wife quickly grabbed their identity cards, while their two children ran out first. The couple followed closely behind amid the thick smoke and intense heat outside the flat.

Little did they realise that that Miss Ng and her brother had run in the opposite direction - the parents fled towards a staircase away from the fire while their children headed in the direction that would lead them to the area sandwiched between the two burning shops.

Mr Ng said he only realised that his children were not around when he reached the void deck.

"If my son can come to me now, it will really be a miracle," said Mr Ng, who is still hanging on to a glimmer of hope that the dead man is not his son.

Mr Ng said he and several other residents had long worried about the fire hazard posed by the excessive amount of goods displayed on the walkway. He wants to know why this was allowed.

The fire broke out at a time when many residents in the block had gone to bed or were still watching the late night television show.

The quiet night was punctuated by a series of loud bangs, prompting the residents to rush to their windows to find out what was happening. They saw belching flames and smoke rising rapidly from the shops on the ground floor.

Some of them rushed out to alert their neighbours and urged them to get out of their homes immediately. About 30 residents escaped the inferno and ran to safety.

The fire damaged a provision shop, a grocery shop and a shop processing photographs and selling camera supplies.

Fire fighters arrived at the scene about four minutes after they received the call and brought the fire under control within 15 minutes.

MP for the area, Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, and his town council officials visited the scene to comfort the residents and offer temporary shelter from HDB, as well as to help clean up the affected areas.

Mr Yeo says it is the worst shop blaze in the area in about 10 years.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

Responding to complaints of fire hazards, Mr Yeo, who also visited the Ngs at the hospital, said that the shops in the area had been briefed and meetings were also held several months ago to get them to comply with fire safety rules, which disallow goods to be placed outside their shops.

The shops have been given up to Oct 1 to comply, he said.

Is this article useful to you? Rate this product:    Poor Excellent