Singapore’s Approach towards Fire Safety for Residential Buildings

Mr Alex Yam Ziming: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in light of recent tragic high-rise fires in Tai Po, Hong Kong (a) whether the Government will be reviewing Singapore’s building, fire and construction safety codes to ensure they remain robust for high-density developments; and (b) what further measures are being taken to strengthen compliance, inspection and enforcement so as to reassure residents and building users.

Mr Ng Chee Meng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many residential unit fires were there in 2025 and how does this compare to 2024; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider stepping up education, enforcement and conduct more regular inspection on buildings especially in older housing estates for compliance to fire safety codes.

Mr Lee Hong Chuang: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in light of the recent high-rise fire incident in Hong Kong (a) how is the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) prepared to respond to fires occurring at very high floors in Singapore’s high-rise buildings especially HDB blocks, including its operational capabilities and limitations; and (b) whether there are any planned enhancements to SCDF's firefighting tactics, equipment or building safety standards.

1. Mr Speaker, may I seek your permission to answer Questions 1034 filed by Mr Ng Chee Meng and 960 filed by Mr Alex Yam in today’s Order Paper?

2. Mr Speaker, my response will also cover the question raised by Mr Lee Hong Chuang, which is scheduled for a subsequent sitting. I invite Mr Lee to seek clarifications today, if need be. If his question has been addressed, it may not be necessary to proceed with his question subsequently.

3. In 2025, there were 1,051 residential building fires – this is up from 968 in 2024. This is a slight increase amid a stable trend of residential building fires over the past five years.

4. The statistics should also be viewed in the context of Singapore’s housing stock. The percentage of fires vis-à-vis our total dwelling stock has actually decreased, from 0.067% in 2021 to 0.065% in 2025.

5. However, recent tragic events remind us that we cannot afford to be complacent about fire safety. The Wang Fuk Court fire in Hong Kong last November is a grim example. The Government has started reviewing the early observations from Hong Kong’s ongoing investigations, and is studying whether we need to strengthen the relevant regulations for works during the construction and maintenance of residential buildings. This will allow us to better manage fire risks, and the outcome of this ongoing review will be announced in due course.

6. Allow me to share more about the multi-faceted approach we take towards fire safety in Singapore, namely, good fire safety design, enforcement against fire safety non-compliance, effective firefighting response, and public preparedness.

7. All buildings in Singapore are designed and built in accordance with the prevailing Fire Code, which stipulates the fire safety requirements such as the compartmentalisation of residential units to limit fire spread prior to SCDF’s arrival. Other fire safety provisions include adequate staircases to support swift evacuation, fire engine access roads and rising mains to support SCDF’s firefighting operations.

8. It is important for building owners to fully comply with the Fire Code and ensure that fire safety provisions are kept in good working order. In this regard, Town Councils and management corporations (MCSTs) are responsible for managing the common areas within HDB estates and strata-titled residential developments respectively, including ensuring compliance with SCDF’s fire safety requirements.

9. They work closely with SCDF to regulate and rectify obstructions at common areas that may be fire hazards. If fire hazards are detected during SCDF’s checks, SCDF will take enforcement action against the Town Council or MCST.

10. The SCDF constantly reviews its firefighting tactics and equipment, and the fire safety requirements for high-rise buildings. This includes exploring new technologies and studying international best practices.

11. To effectively conduct firefighting and rescue operations in high-rise settings, the SCDF has capabilities such as aerial appliances that can reach up to 90 meters, as well as surveillance drones.

12. High-rise buildings are required to have additional fire safety provisions, such as more fire lifts and rising mains, to ensure that the SCDF can conduct operations on the upper floors effectively.

13. In addition, high-rise residential buildings that exceed 40 storeys in height require at least one refuge floor per 20 storeys. The refuge floor is designed to provide evacuees with quick access to a safe holding space in the event of a fire.

14. Last, SCDF conducts regular outreach through campaigns such as Community Resilience Days, to educate residents on fire prevention and fire safety, and provide free hands-on training on the use of fire extinguishers, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automated external defibrillators.

15. SCDF also collaborates with other government agencies and stakeholders to promote fire safety awareness, such as through the recent ‘Better Awareness, Safer Homes’ programme jointly launched with the People’s Association and National Fire and Emergency Preparedness Council, as well as the ‘Be Device-Safe’ programme with Land Transport Authority.

16. Fire safety is a collective responsibility. We must work together, each doing our part, if we are to keep our homes safe from fires.