Debated in Parliament on 6 Mar 2025.
Ms Hazel Poa asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether NEA has information on what types of waste materials are stored at the warehouse at 11 Kranji Crescent that caught fire on 19 February 2025; (b) whether the four-day fire at the warehouse has exposed residents nearby to toxic pollutants; and (c) if so, what pollutants have residents been exposed to as a result of the fire.
The site that caught fire on 19 February is occupied by a General Waste Disposal Facility. It is licensed to receive industrial and commercial waste for sorting prior to recycling and disposal. The facility contained materials such as paper, plastics, glass, scrap metal, wood waste and e-waste, but it is not licensed to store toxic industrial waste or hazardous substances. Investigations by the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) are ongoing to ascertain whether the facility had adhered to the relevant licensing and fire safety requirements.
The facility is around two kilometres away from the nearest residences. Based on NEA's ambient air quality monitoring network, the air quality in the West region remained within the normal range throughout the four-day duration of the fire.
Ms Poa.
I think the Senior Minister of State for her reply. Does NEA keep track of what materials are stored by recycling companies in their warehouses and whether they rectify any fire safety violations to reduce reoccurrence of such a happening?
Sir, NEA does conduct inspections of these premises from time to time. For this particular premises, they actually did six inspections since 2021. They also regularly send out advisories to these waste recycling facilities to remind them of the need to be cognisant of fire safety risk, to continuously review their fire safety measures to make sure that they are relevant and adequate.
NEA works together with SCDF. SCDF itself also conducts scheduled and regular inspections of these premises. And I understand that SCDF also conducted 10 inspections between 2018 and 2024 for this premises. Where there are non-compliance, these would be issued out. So, for this premises, I think they issued four Fire Hazard Abatement Notices, which is actually a warning to ask them to rectify some non-compliance issues like obstruction of fire exit door or fire extinguisher or faulty fire exit sign. There were three Notices of Offence. Again, this is for non-compliance, for instance, if there is unauthorised fire safety construction. But all these were actually rectified.
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