SINGAPORE — A late Friday afternoon at the popular Whampoa Makan Place turned into a scene of panic on Friday, June 19, 2026, when a sudden fire broke out at a ground-floor food stall. The blaze forced a mass evacuation of approximately 100 diners and hawkers, sending thick grey smoke billowing across the neighborhood.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
The Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF) confirmed they were alerted to the incident at 90 Whampoa Drive at approximately 4:10 PM.
According to witnesses and early reports from the scene, the fire appears to have originated at a Western food stall facing the car park, allegedly sparked by a deep fryer. Nearby stall owners recalled hearing a sudden "gas pop" sound, followed by immediate shouts of warning as flames rapidly tore into the stall's kitchen exhaust ducting.
Videos circulating across social media platforms like Xiaohongshu and Facebook captured the intense moments, showing bright orange flames raging through the ventilation systems and breaking out above the building's roof. Before emergency services arrived, courageous onlookers and fellow hawkers detached a nearby hose reel to try and douse the mounting flames, but the fire quickly escalated up the exhaust lines.
The police and SCDF acted quickly to cordon off the area with emergency tape and immediately evacuated around 100 people from the premises as a necessary safety precaution.
Firefighters deployed two water jets and a hose reel to battle the blaze. By 4:40 PM, the fire was successfully brought under control and extinguished. Multiple fire engines and emergency vehicles remained on-site well into the evening to carry out damping-down operations to ensure no hot spots could reignite.
While the structure was saved, the aftermath left a scene of severe disruption for the local business community. The immediate area around the affected stalls was left under ankle-deep water, with tables covered in ash, grime, and debris. Several nearby stall operators rushed back inside once permitted to safely cut off their gas and electricity valves to prevent secondary explosions.
Longtime hawkers described the incident as one of the worst disruptions they had experienced in years. Authorities are continuing their investigations into the exact cause of the fire, and the SCDF has reminded stall operators to remain vigilant regarding kitchen exhaust maintenance to prevent similar duct fires.
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