Recent Spate of Fires at Coffee Shops

Mr Yee Chia Hsing asked the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry is looking into the root cause of the recent HDB coffee shop fires and whether warranties for floor tiles of units above the affected coffee shops can be provided to these residents.

Madam, there are various possible causes for these fires. These include excessive open flames from cooking stoves, poor housekeeping of stalls or poor maintenance of the exhaust system.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) investigates the cause of all reported fires and may, if necessary, introduce new guidelines to enhance fire safety at the coffeeshops.

If residential units are affected by fire in the coffee shops, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) will inspect these flats and assess what damage may have been caused.

Under HDB's tenancy agreement or memorandum of lease with coffeeshop tenants or lessees, the tenant or lessee is liable for any damage arising from acts of negligence. Should a fire break out, HDB will require the tenants or lessees of the coffee shops to follow up with the necessary repairs, including to the floor tiles of units above the affected coffee shops.

I thank the Senior Minister of State for the answer. I have two questions. One, which agency is responsible for ensuring the proper maintenance of the exhaust system? Two, many residents want to have more coffee shops, but few residents understand the inconvenience of staying above the coffeeshop units. Some of the visible damage is repaired post the fire incident but residents have actually given feedback that, for example, the floor tiles, it may not be visible right after, and the cracks may appear like six months or a year after. Will they then still be able to claim from the coffee shop tenant?

On the first question, it is the responsibility of the tenant of the coffee shop, the lessee, to make sure that their exhaust duct is kept clean. SCDF has guidelines and if they are found not to be complied with, action will be taken.

As for the second question, I do not think the Member is referring specifically to popping tiles which occur after a fire has broken out. That will be a clear nexus. But if he is referring to other circumstances where these things occur after a period of time, then you need to look at whether it is within the warranty period. If it is, then they can be replaced. But if it is many, many years, even a decade down the road, and these things occur, we need to really look at what the cause of it is.