A fire broke out at 278 River Valley Road on April 8, 2025, killing a 10-year-old Australian girl and injuring 21 other people. Among the injured were 16 children aged between 6 and 10.
Construction workers from a nearby site used scaffolding and ladders to rescue several children trapped on the third floor of the burning building, which houses Tomato Cooking School.
Construction worker Shakil Mohammad, 35, heard screams around 9 AM and saw children standing on the third-floor ledge of the burning shophouse.
“The children wanted to jump. I told them, ‘Don’t jump! I will help you’,” Mr. Shakil told The Straits Times.
He and coworker Ramesh Kumar brought scaffolding and a step ladder from their construction site to reach the trapped children.
Mr. Shakil, who has worked in Singapore since 2018, was the second person on the ladder. Another worker above him grabbed the children and passed them down.
“There was one girl, when she was passed to me, her eyes were closed. I held her in my arms, she was not moving,” Mr. Shakil said.
Despite the heat, the workers continued their rescue efforts.
“The fire was so hot. But I die, no problem, I just needed to save the children,” Mr. Shakil said.
The construction workers rescued about 10 children from the building.
Mr. Shakil became emotional when mentioning that three more children remained inside whom he couldn’t reach because of the fire’s size.
Mr. Dani Rahmat, 25, a nearby barber shop owner, said: “I think they were super selfless. What they did was really inspiring.”
A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesperson said they have contacted the rescuers to commend their “quick-thinking and prompt efforts.” They will receive the SCDF Community Lifesaver Award.
Police and SCDF were alerted to the fire at about 9:45 AM on April 8, 2025.
The 22 casualties included six adults aged between 23 and 55, and 16 children aged between six and 10.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the 10-year-old girl who died was an Australian national.
Mr. Zainal Zin, who works at a nearby furniture store, described seeing paramedics performing CPR on a girl and children with severe burns.
“This girl had burns all over her left arm. When she turned around, I saw burns on the left side of her face too,” Mr. Zainal said.
Several Indian media outlets reported that seven-year-old Mark Shankar, son of Indian politician Pawan Kalyan, was among the injured. He hurt his hands and legs and underwent a bronchoscopy, but doctors said his life is not in danger.
Mr. Kalyan thanked the construction workers and noted that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called to check on his son’s condition.
Tomato Cooking School expressed shock in a Facebook post on April 9, 2025. “At this moment, our priority remains the safety and well-being of everyone involved,” the school stated, adding they were assisting with investigations.
By 12:50 PM on April 9, 2025, SCDF officers arrived at the scene for investigations. The area was cordoned off, with several flower bouquets left at the site.
This incident is the fourth fire fatality in 2025, following a January fire in a Hougang flat that killed three people. According to SCDF’s annual statistics, five people died in fires in 2024, up from three in 2023.
