{
  "id": 164581,
  "title": "Race Course Road HDB flat fire: 88-year-old man dies",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/05/race-course-road-hdb-flat-fire-88-year-old-man-dies",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-05T07:09:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Straits Times",
    "slug": "straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/race-course-road-hdb-flat-fire-88-year-old-man-dies"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A fire at an HDB flat on Race Course Road in Little India resulted in the death of an 88-year-old man, according to police on August 5. The victim was among three individuals who were unconscious when emergency services arrived at Block 684 Race Course Road. The three victims were taken to Singapore General Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Hospital, with ages ranging from 55 to 88. The fire broke out in a bedroom within the building, and emergency services, including the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), worked together to rescue the occupants. About 50 residents were evacuated from the affected block following the incident. This marks the third deadly fire in a week, with previous fatalities occurring in July due to fires in a Clementi flat and a MacPherson HDB flat. In 2025, there have been six fire deaths and 94 fire injuries across the country, according to SCDF's annual statistics report released in February 2026. The total number of fires increased by 3% from 2024, with unattended cooking and electrical fires being the most common causes. Electrical fires, which include faults in wiring or overloaded sockets, accounted for the majority of incidents, with 304 cases reported in 2025 involving active mobility devices.",
  "summary": "Five people had been trapped in the fifth-floor unit.",
  "key_points": [
    "88-year-old man dies in Race Course Road HDB flat fire.",
    "Three individuals unconscious when emergency services arrived.",
    "This is the third deadly fire in a week in Singapore."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": "https://urgent.news/ill/164581.png",
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Straits Times",
        "title": "25-year-old woman injured after car crashes into pedestrian walkway in Orchard Road",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/06/25-year-old-woman-injured-after-car-crashes-into-pedestrian-walkway",
        "published": "2026-08-06T15:12:34.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}