Close shave for resident after gas leak blows hole in his apartment wall

He had just come home and was resting in his bedroom when he heard a loud blast coming from the kitchen.

When he rushed there, Li Shenghe (transliteration) found a large hole in the wall and debris strewn everywhere.

The damage was later deemed to be caused by a gas leak.

The incident took place at Li's two-bedroom apartment on the ground floor of Block 426 Clemenceau Avenue North on Wednesday (March 20) night, Shin Min Daily News reported on Thursday.

The 75-year-old retiree had returned home at around 10pm after going to the church to pay respects on his wife's second-year death anniversary.

"I usually go to the kitchen to make coffee in the evening, but didn't go that night. Instead, I was resting in the room next to the kitchen.

"Otherwise, the consequences could have been disastrous," he told Shin Min.

Li also found debris along the walkway leading to the living room.

There was also a brown mark on the white wall on the right side of his kitchen, and he noted that the room felt hotter than usual.

After informing the building manager, Li decided to not leave the apartment as he did not smell any gas.

The next morning, the building manager came to inspect the home and then informed the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

Responding to queries by AsiaOne, the SCDF determined the cause of the explosion to be a gas leak and also extinguished a fire. 

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, a spokesperson added. There were no reported injuries.

According to Shin Min, around 50 residents were evacuated from the eight-storey building at around 10am on Thursday morning and were allowed back in at around 2pm.

Cracks in the wall since last year

Li told the Chinese newspaper that he moved into the apartment four years ago and had discovered cracks in the wall last December.

According to Shin Min, it is believed that gas had been building up within the apartment's walls before exploding out. 

Because the gas leak continued to burn, the temperature of the room and walls spiked, resulting in the brown discolouration on the wall.

In response to AsiaOne's queries, a Singapore Land Authority (SLA) spokesperson said it appointed Knight Frank Property & Facilities Management as the managing agent of the block, which is a residential state property. It comprises 64 units, out of which 62 units are occupied.

SLA is assisting SCDF to investigate the cause of the fire.

"Following the incident, SLA had worked with the relevant provider to shut down the gas pipe supply for the entire property on March 21, at about 11 am, as a precautionary measure," said the spokesperson.

"The timeframe for the restoration of gas supply has not been determined, pending the outcome of investigations. Knight Frank will render assistance to affected tenants, where required."

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khooyihang@asiaone.com