SINGAPORE: Air quality in the west of Singapore remained within the normal range throughout the four-day fire at a Kranji warehouse in February, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor said on Thursday (Mar 6).
The blaze, which involved waste materials, broke out on Feb 19 at 11 Kranji Crescent and was extinguished on Feb 23. The address is occupied by recycling and waste management firm Wah & Hua.
That was the fourth fire at the warehouse in seven years. The previous fires at the facility were in 2018, 2023 and 2024.
The facility is licensed to receive industrial and commercial waste for sorting prior to recycling and disposal. It contained materials such as paper, plastics, glass, scrap metal, wood waste and e-waste, Dr Khor said in parliament.
She was responding to a question raised by Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Hazel Poa (PSP), who had asked about the types of materials stored at the warehouse and if residents near the site had been exposed to toxic pollutants as a result of the fire.
In her reply, Dr Khor said the warehouse is located about 2km away from the nearest residences. It is not licensed to store toxic industrial waste or hazardous substances, she added.
"Investigations by NEA and SCDF are ongoing to ascertain whether the facility adhered to the relevant licensing and fire safety requirements."
03:15 Min
Air quality remained within the normal range throughout the four days of the Kranji warehouse fire in February, said Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor on Thursday (Mar 6) in reply to an MP’s questions in parliament. She added that investigations are still ongoing to ascertain whether the warehouse adhered to the relevant licensing and fire safety requirements before it caught fire.
Ms Poa asked in a supplementary question if the National Environment Agency (NEA) keeps track of the materials stored by recycling companies in their warehouses and whether the agency rectifies any fire safety violations to reduce such occurrences.
Dr Khor said that NEA has conducted six inspections of the warehouse since 2021.
The agency also regularly sent out advisories to the facility to remind it of the "need to be cognizant of fire safety risk" and to continuously review its fire safety measures to make sure that they are relevant and adequate.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) has done 10 inspections of the premises between 2018 and 2024.
Four fire hazard abatement notices – warnings to building owners and management to rectify non-compliance with fire rules – were issued to the facility. It was also given three notices of offence for several violations.
"But all these were actually rectified," Dr Khor added.
Firefighters battled the blaze for hours on Feb 19 and smoke could be seen from areas such as Jurong East, Bukit Panjang, Woodlands and the Causeway.
Workers from some buildings near the warehouse were told to vacate. One person was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation and burn injuries.
Continue reading...
The blaze, which involved waste materials, broke out on Feb 19 at 11 Kranji Crescent and was extinguished on Feb 23. The address is occupied by recycling and waste management firm Wah & Hua.
That was the fourth fire at the warehouse in seven years. The previous fires at the facility were in 2018, 2023 and 2024.
The facility is licensed to receive industrial and commercial waste for sorting prior to recycling and disposal. It contained materials such as paper, plastics, glass, scrap metal, wood waste and e-waste, Dr Khor said in parliament.
She was responding to a question raised by Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Hazel Poa (PSP), who had asked about the types of materials stored at the warehouse and if residents near the site had been exposed to toxic pollutants as a result of the fire.
In her reply, Dr Khor said the warehouse is located about 2km away from the nearest residences. It is not licensed to store toxic industrial waste or hazardous substances, she added.
"Investigations by NEA and SCDF are ongoing to ascertain whether the facility adhered to the relevant licensing and fire safety requirements."
03:15 Min
Air quality remained within the normal range throughout the four days of the Kranji warehouse fire in February, said Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor on Thursday (Mar 6) in reply to an MP’s questions in parliament. She added that investigations are still ongoing to ascertain whether the warehouse adhered to the relevant licensing and fire safety requirements before it caught fire.
Ms Poa asked in a supplementary question if the National Environment Agency (NEA) keeps track of the materials stored by recycling companies in their warehouses and whether the agency rectifies any fire safety violations to reduce such occurrences.
Dr Khor said that NEA has conducted six inspections of the warehouse since 2021.
The agency also regularly sent out advisories to the facility to remind it of the "need to be cognizant of fire safety risk" and to continuously review its fire safety measures to make sure that they are relevant and adequate.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) has done 10 inspections of the premises between 2018 and 2024.
Four fire hazard abatement notices – warnings to building owners and management to rectify non-compliance with fire rules – were issued to the facility. It was also given three notices of offence for several violations.
"But all these were actually rectified," Dr Khor added.
Firefighters battled the blaze for hours on Feb 19 and smoke could be seen from areas such as Jurong East, Bukit Panjang, Woodlands and the Causeway.
Workers from some buildings near the warehouse were told to vacate. One person was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation and burn injuries.
Related:
Continue reading...