'He locked the gate when he saw us': Man set fire to Redhill flat, refused to be saved
A 34-year-old man was arrested by the police after he set fire to his home in Redhill.
The incident occurred at about 9.55pm on Monday (Feb 5) in a rental unit at block 56 Lengkok Bahru, reported Shin Min Daily News.
An eyewitness surnamed Chen, told the Chinese daily that she saw fire trucks, ambulances and police cars parked below the block on Monday night.
She also heard from a neighbour that there was a fire on the fifth floor, but did not know what happened.
A 53-year-old resident shared that he was chatting with his neighbour at the void deck that night when he saw a man, estimated to be in his 30s, walking in and out of the burning flat at least three times.
The man could also be heard slamming the door each time he entered the unit, said the resident.
"Shortly after, I heard a fire alarm go off, my friend's relative ran over and tried to rescue him."
Rescuers thwarted by uncooperative man
Shin Min also spoke to a man named Nazri who tried to save the person inside the burning unit.
The 27-year-old reportedly ran to the smoking unit with his younger brother when they heard the fire alarm.
"When we arrived at his house, the wooden door was open, but when he saw us, he locked the gate," said Nazri.
The brothers then tried to smash the windows of the unit and pull the man out, but he refused to cooperate with them.
The man tried to pass Nazri some valuables he had in his home, and told Nazri to look for his mother.
"I tried to look for his mother, but I didn't see her. I asked him for her number, but he only gave me the first four digits."
In between rescue attempts, the man also tried to ask Nazri if he had any cigarettes.
"I really felt like he didn't treasure his life, and at the same time I was worried something bad would happen to him," said Nazri.
Left with no other options, the brothers had to wait for the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) to arrive.
Nazri said that firefighters broke down the man's door and pulled him out of the unit.
When the man came out of the flat, he reportedly stared at Nazri and looked quite hostile.
Man known to suffer from mental issues: Neighbours
One of the man's neighbours told Shin Min that the man has been living in that unit for over 20 years.
"He often walks around the corridor late at night while holding a parang, it's very abnormal. Sometimes he'll speak to us, but we can tell that he's not very sound," said the 27-year-old neighbour.
Another 78-year-old resident said that the man would also knock on their doors while holding the parang.
"The next-door neighbour has four children, their father is sometimes so terrified of him that he doesn't dare go to work, I also worry for them."
Shin Min also managed to locate the man's mother, who confirmed that her son was suffering from mental illness.
The 69-year-old woman, who works in F&B, said her son started acting strange last year. Apart from walking around the corridor with the parang, he would also talk to himself.
"He told me he had enemies and he felt threatened."
Despite her advice, the woman said that her son refused to undergo treatment. She added that she feels helpless about her son's arrest.
"I can only wait for the authorities to fix the window, and I hope my son will agree to go for treatment."
Mischief by fire
In response to AsiaOne's queries, the SCDF said they were alerted to a fire at Block 56 Lengkok Bahru on Monday night.
The fire involved a curtain in the living room of a unit on the fifth floor, they said.
SCDF extinguished the fire using a fire extinguisher, and conveyed a person to the Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation.
The police told AsiaOne that the man was arrested for mischief by fire and taken to the hospital.
Police investigations are ongoing.
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