SINGAPORE — After rescuing 14 unconscious cats from a fire that broke out in a public flat on Thursday (April 21), Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) firefighters performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on them.
One cat died but 13 regained consciousness.
SCDF said in a Facebook post on Friday that it was alerted to a fire at Block 422 Fajar Road in Bukit Panjang at about 8.30am the day before.
The fire was linked to the contents of a service yard in a flat on the second floor of the Housing and Development Board (HDB) block.
“Firefighters from Bukit Batok fire station conducted forcible entry into the unit and extinguished the fire using three compressed air foam backpacks,” SCDF wrote.
Firefighters rescued 14 cats that were found unconscious within the unit.
“The firefighters, some of them cross-trained as emergency medical technicians, provided oxygen and conducted CPR on the cats,” SCDF said.
About 20 people were evacuated from neighbouring flats as a precautionary measure.
On TikTok, user “itshambali” posted a video showing a picture of around six SCDF officers crouching on the ground to tend to the unconscious cats.
The TikTok user appealed to the public to help a woman and her family who were affected by the fire, as well as the cats.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.