Fire breaks out at traditional Chinese medicine shop in Chinatown

SINGAPORE – A fire broke out at a traditional Chinese medicine shop in Chinatown in the afternoon of Nov 11.

Videos taken at the scene show grey smoke rising near Ming Tai Medical and Trading, a shop located on the first floor of Block 34 Upper Cross Street.

A check on the shop’s website shows that it sells Chinese herbs as well as liquor and wine.

When The Straits Times arrived at the block at about 1.30pm, there were around four Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) vehicles, six police cars and an ambulance in the area.

At least two people were seen receiving medical attention in the ambulance, while a bus stop near the affected block was cordoned off.

A 41-year old man, who wanted to be known as Zhang, told ST he saw the shop owner’s wife running out of the premises at around 12.30pm.

Realising there was a fire, Zhang, who works at a nearby hair salon, borrowed a fire extinguisher from another shop and ran into the unit to try and put out the fire.

He said the unit was filled with smoke and he could not see anything.

“I wasn’t wearing a mask, so I couldn’t stay inside for long because I couldn’t breathe,” he added.

Zhang said that firefighters arrived shortly after and he was asked to evacuate.

Amy Seow, who works at the medicine shop next door, also observed smoke coming out of the affected unit at around 12.30pm.

“The smoke got thicker and thicker and it was hurting our eyes, so my colleague and I closed the shop and evacuated,” Seow said.