River Valley fire: SCDF finds safety breaches; URA says only first floor approved for use as children’s enrichment centre

SINGAPORE: Fire safety breaches were found at the River Valley shophouse that caught fire on Tuesday (Apr 8), said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

“Preliminary findings are that the fire likely originated from an area used for storage on the second storey of the three-storey shophouse,” SCDF said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

“Preliminary investigations also found fire safety non-compliances, including unauthorised works involving the erection of partitions within the premises.” 

Only the first floor of the three-storey shophouse was approved for use as a children’s enrichment centre, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said on Wednesday.

The upper two floors, as well as the attic, are approved for residential use.

URA said investigations are ongoing. Anyone found guilty of unauthorised use of premises may be fined up to S$200,000 (US$150,000).

The building houses the enrichment centre Newtonshow Camp. There are signs outside the shophouse belonging to several brands listed on Newtonshow’s website, including Tomato Cooking School, theatre school Drama Llama and coding school Maker.

A total of 22 people were taken to hospital, including 16 children, were taken to hospitals after the fire broke out on Tuesday morning. A 10-year-old Australian girl subsequently died.

Videos posted on social media show children sitting on a third-storey ledge as plumes of black smoke billow.

Bystanders, including some construction workers, were seen using scaffolding and a ladder to reach them.