A 10-year-old Australian girl has tragically died after a fire engulfed a cooking school in Singapore on Tuesday morning.
The blaze, which broke out at Tomato Cooking School on River Valley Road, left five adults and 15 children injured.
Emergency services were called to the three-storey building at around 9:45 am, where flames forced several people onto a third-floor ledge.
It is reported that construction workers and firefighters managed to rescue those trapped before the fire was brought under control within half an hour.
One worker, Shakil Mohammad, told The Straits Times he was inside a neighbouring building when he heard screams, “The children wanted to jump. I told them, ‘Don’t jump! I will help you’.”
“The fire was so hot. But I die, no problem, I just needed to save the children.”
The young girl, one of the 22 people rushed to hospital, later succumbed to her injuries. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) confirmed that they are providing consular assistance to the grieving family, but refrained from further comment out of respect for privacy.
“We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time.”
The cooking school expressed shock and sadness in a statement, offering support to those affected and cooperating with authorities in the ongoing investigation.
“We cannot express our sadness in words for the affected families and what they are going through.”
Preliminary findings suggest that the fire started in a second-floor storage area and was exacerbated by fire safety violations, including alleged unauthorised partitions within the premises.
Singapore’s Civil Defence Force warned that any parties found responsible for these safety breaches could face hefty fines or imprisonment.
The investigation continues as the community reels from the loss.
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