Hougang fire: Man among 3 dead in flat lived with wife and daughter

Neighbours say family cluttered unit and corridor and kept an assortment of pets

- Caelyn Tan and David Sun

A married couple and their teenage daughter lived in the five-room flat in Hougang that was engulfed in flames on Jan 9.

The fire broke out at about 12.40pm in the third-floor unit of Block 971 Hougang Street 91.

The occupants of the flat were Mr Lee Choon Geak, 62; his wife, Madam Seow Siew Choo, 56; and their teenage daughter.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) responded and arrived at the scene in eight minutes from the time they were alerted.

Firefighters had to force their way into the unit, but faced challenges because of the excessive amount of items and heavily smoke-logged condition inside.

The Straits Times understands that only Mr Lee's body has been identified so far, as the bodies of the other victims suffered significant burns.

According to records, Mr Lee married Madam Seow in 1992 and the family moved into the flat in 2019.

Neighbours said the flat was cluttered, and the family owned several pets, including a cat, a bird and rabbits, causing a stench along the corridor.

They said the family would often bring home a mix of items and leave them outside the unit.

A neighbour on the same floor who wanted to be known only as Mrs Priya, 42, a housewife, said the family would often bring home boxes of junk and flowerpots, cluttering the inside of the unit and the corridor.