Faulty dry rising main forced firefighters to haul hose up 8 floors in fatal Clementi fire

Faulty dry rising main forced firefighters to haul hose up 8 floors in fatal Clementi fire SCDF said it is investigating the incident and that the town council is required to rectify the dry rising main to ensure it is in proper working condition. SINGAPORE: A faulty dry rising main disrupted firefighting efforts during a fatal fire at a Clementi flat on Friday (Jul 31), forcing firefighters to switch to a contingency plan after discovering the building's firefighting system was not working properly. Responding to media queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said on Sunday that firefighters responding to the blaze at Block 309 Clementi Avenue 4 found that the dry rising main was not working properly. This resulted in reduced water pressure that prevented water from being supplied effectively to the affected eighth floor. A dry rising main is a vertical red-coloured pipe installed in buildings, which is charged with water from a fire engine to facilitate firefighting operations on the upper floors of the building. “SCDF firefighters immediately set up hoses directly from the fire engine at ground level to the affected floor via the staircase,” SCDF said, adding that this is a contingency that firefighters regularly train for during routine drills. SCDF said it is investigating the incident and that the town council is required to rectify the dry rising main to ensure it is in proper working condition. SCDF was alerted to the fire at about 11.10pm on Friday. One person died and two firefighters suffered burn injuries during the operation. During the operation, firefighters rescued a person trapped in the kitchen, who was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. The person later died. The two firefighters were transported to Singapore General Hospital. One firefighter has since been discharged and is resting at home, said the SCDF in a Facebook post update on Aug 1. CNA has contacted the Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council and national water agency PUB for comment. In July 2025, investigations into a blaze in Toa Payoh that sent seven people to hospital revealed a faulty dry rising main that could have been caused by an underground pipe leak. The faulty dry rising main forced firefighters to haul hoses up 10 storeys to establish a water supply to fight the flames.