Hougang flat PMD fire: Mother threw girl out of window to save her

Seven months after fire, family recalls what happened that night and the lessons learnt

- Claudia Tan and Joakim Kang

As a fire ravaged their Hougang flat on the second storey, the couple had difficult decisions to make.

Ms Norhayani Jasman, 33, was hiding in the kitchen toilet with her husband, Mr Muhammad Asif, 37, and their five-year-old daughter.

Ms Norhayani's personal mobility device (PMD) caught fire at around midnight. She had plugged the device in at about 11pm on Aug 15, 2024, and had intended to leave it charging overnight in their living room, near the flat's entrance.

With smoke spreading through their rental unit at Block 313 Hougang Avenue 5 on Aug 16, Mr Asif decided he would jump to the ground floor, and his wife would throw their daughter out the window to him.

Mr Asif recalled hearing a loud beeping noise coming from the living room that night.

The PMD burst into flames as he stepped out of his bedroom.

With the entrance to the flat blocked, the couple grabbed their child, Nor Assyifa Alya Muhammad Asif, and ran into the toilet at their kitchen.

As smoke engulfed the three-room rental flat, the family's only escape route was through their kitchen window.

Mr Asif, an outlet manager at a fast-food chain, said: "I decided to jump out first. I told my wife to throw our daughter out of the window and I would catch her."

Shin Min Daily News reported that a man jumped from his second-storey flat, and a child was thrown from the unit.

About 30 residents were evacuated by the police as a precaution.

As Ms Norhayani, a property management executive, picked the girl up in the toilet, she told her: "Papa is downstairs. I'm going to throw you to Papa. I love you."

After catching her, Mr Asif could not stand, as he broke both heels from the fall.

Ms Norhayani was rescued by Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) firefighters at about 12.50am. Covering her with a fire blanket, they escorted her out of the unit.