Fire at NUS extinguished

SINGAPORE: A huge fire that broke out at a building at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Kent Ridge campus on Friday afternoon was extinguished at 7.10pm.

A 51—year—old security guard was sent to hospital for smoke inhalation and three firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion.

From the Clementi area at about 2.25pm, thick black smoke could be seen emitting from the eight—storey Block E3A of the Engineering Faculty.

NUS said smoke was first detected on the building’s rooftop.

But a passer—by said there were flames on the side of the building too.

As a safety precaution, all occupants in the building and the surrounding buildings were evacuated.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said its firefighters had to break the windows on the first two floors for ventilation.

A worker said the fire could have started in one of the research labs.

The building houses the Solar Energy Research Institute as well as the Material Science Department.

No other injuries have been reported.

The affected building and its surrounding areas have been cordoned off.

Some evacuees spoke about their experiences.

"We came down and saw black fumes. I think a lot of people came out from other buildings as well, about 100 (people)..." said an evacuee.

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"Those working there told us to run out quickly. Very thick smoke. Very big. We were at the carpark upstairs. They were afraid of toxic gases and asked us to go downstairs," said another evacuee.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

[View the story "NUS Fire" on Storify]

— CNA/ck