Coroner’s inquiry into Hougang fire: Family of 3 who died refused help from HDB on hoarding issue

Town council staff clearing items from the flat in Hougang Street 91 on Jan 10, 2025, a day after a fire broke out in the unit.

Published Sep 21, 2026, 02:40 PM

Updated Sep 21, 2026, 02:46 PM

A fire in a Hougang flat on Jan 9, 2025, caused the deaths of a couple and their daughter, starting from a faulty wall socket with loose connections in the master bedroom.

The family had hoarding issues; HDB attempted to intervene multiple times in 2024 but the family refused help, complicating firefighters' access during the fire.

Investigations found no foul play or indications of a suicide; the daughter had planned to start a business, while the exact cause of her mother's death remains unascertained.

SINGAPORE - A coroner’s inquiry into the deaths of a married couple and their teenage daughter, who died in a fire in their Hougang home, opened on Sept 21.

Lee Choon Geak, 62; his wife, Seow Siew Choo, 56; and Grace Lee, 18; died in the fire that broke out on Jan 9, 2025, in a third-floor unit of Block 971 Hougang Street 91.

The family were hoarders, and firefighters had to move items aside to create a path to enter the home.

The court heard that the blaze originated from a wall socket in the master bedroom, with nearby combustibles in the room contributing to the spread of the fire.

Residents made around 20 calls to the authorities at around 12.40pm as thick, black smoke surrounded the unit.

Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Muhammad Faizal Mazlan of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) testified that firefighters faced significant difficulty opening the main door due to the large accumulation of items in the unit.

Inspector Melvin Lim of the Singapore Police Force (SPF) told the court that the Housing Board (HDB) was made aware of the family’s hoarding issues on Feb 7, 2024.

The next day , HDB officers tried to speak to the family but were refused entry . HDB officers tried again in September that year and were again rejected.

In December that year, HDB officers visited the unit but no one was home.

A month later, the family died in the blaze.

When police officers arrived during the fire, they banged on the door but no one responded .

Firefighters forced their way in , where they found Lee seated and unresponsive near the door of one of the bedrooms.

He had burn injuries and died from smoke inhalation.

Firefighters found Seow lying on the bed and carried her out of the unit.

They eventually found the daughter buried under debris in this bedroom.

ST previously reported that Lee’s body was the first to be identified a day after the fire on Jan 10, while the daughter’s identity was confirmed on Jan 11.

Seow’s body was identified more than two weeks after the blaze.

The court heard that Seow’s cause of death was unascertained, while the daughter died from asphyxia.

Inspector Lim said even though Seow suffered extensive burns, there was no soot found in her airways and stomach, which could mean her death occurred before the fire.

Inspector Lim noted no foul play was suspected, and the family had no recorded disputes with their neighbours.

The SPF officer said there was no evidence any of the three had suicide ideations, although the daughter had been seeing an Institute of Mental Health doctor from 2023 to 2024. She had been experiencing low moods and stress from her family and schoolwork.

LTC Faizal said the daughter was not identified to have a high risk of suicide.

He said: “SCDF conducted interviews with their family members, and found that Grace had been sharing future aspirations with others. She was studying business in ITE College Central and had plans to start a business.”

LTC Faizal the fire originated from a wall socket outlet in the master bedroom, which was near the bedroom the family were found in.

The intense heat completely destroyed the master bedroom door, leaving only its hinges, he added.

Investigations revealed there were loose terminal connections behind the wall socket, leading to an internal overheating that caused the fire.

One of Seow’s sisters, who attended the hearing, asked if any appliances were connected to the wall socket at the time.

LTC Faizal testified that an extension socket was plugged into the wall, with a laptop and two fans likely connected to it. What was left of these items were found mainly on the floor as most of the carpentry had been destroyed.

When Seow’s sister asked how the family could have spotted loose terminal connections behind the wall socket, LTC Faizal explained that discolouration, crackling sounds, and a burning smell were typical telltale signs.

He added: “However, what contributed greatly to the fire was the large number of items in the bedroom and unit.”

State Coroner Adam Nakhoda adjourned the hearing to Oct 12 for a forensic pathologist to elaborate on the cause of death of the mother and daughter.

The coroner extended his condolences to Seow’s two sisters at the hearing.

Nadine Chua is a correspondent covering crime and court at The Straits Times.

2025年1月10日，市镇理事会工作人员正在清理后港91街一间公寓内的物品，此前一天，该公寓发生火灾。

发布于2026年9月21日下午2:40

更新于2026年9月21日下午2:46

2025年1月9日，后港一间公寓发生火灾，导致一对夫妇及其女儿丧生。起火原因是主卧室内一个有故障的墙壁插座连接松动。

这家人有囤积癖；建屋发展局在 2024 年多次试图介入，但这家人拒绝帮助，导致消防员在火灾期间难以进入。

调查未发现谋杀或自杀迹象；女儿计划创业，而母亲的确切死因仍未确定。

新加坡——9月21日，验尸官对一对夫妇及其十几岁的女儿在后港家中火灾中丧生的案件展开调查。

62岁的李春杰、56岁的妻子萧秀珠和18岁的格蕾丝·李在2025年1月9日发生在后港91街971座三楼的火灾中丧生。

这家人有囤积癖，消防员不得不把物品移开，才能开辟出一条进入房屋的道路。

法庭获悉，火灾起于主卧室的墙壁插座，房间内附近的易燃物助长了火势蔓延。

下午 12 点 40 分左右，浓浓的黑烟包围了这栋房屋，居民们向当局拨打了大约 20 个电话。

新加坡民防部队中校穆罕默德·法伊扎尔·马兹兰作证说，由于该单元内堆积了大量物品，消防员在打开大门时遇到了很大的困难。

新加坡警察部队 (SPF) 的 Melvin Lim 督察告诉法庭，建屋发展局 (HDB) 于 2024 年 2 月 7 日得知了该家庭的囤积问题。

第二天，建屋发展局官员试图与这家人交谈，但遭到拒绝。同年9月，建屋发展局官员再次尝试，仍然被拒绝。

同年12月，建屋发展局官员到访该单位，但家中无人。

一个月后，这家人在火灾中丧生。

火灾发生时，警察赶到现场，敲门但无人应答。

消防员强行进入屋内，发现李坐在其中一间卧室门口附近，没有反应。

他身受烧伤，并因吸入浓烟而死亡。

消防员发现 Seow 躺在床上，便将她抬出了房间。

他们最终在这间卧室的废墟下找到了被埋的女儿。

《海峡时报》此前报道称，李某的遗体在1月10日火灾发生后的第二天就被确认身份，而其女儿的身份则在1月11日得到确认。

火灾发生两周多后，Seow的遗体才被确认。

法庭获悉，萧某的死因不明，而其女儿死于窒息。

林警官表示，虽然萧女士遭受了大面积烧伤，但她的呼吸道和胃里没有发现烟灰，这可能意味着她的死亡发生在火灾之前。

林警官指出，没有发现谋杀嫌疑，而且这家人与邻居之间也没有任何纠纷记录。

新加坡警察部队官员表示，没有证据表明这三人有任何自杀倾向，尽管女儿在2023年至2024年期间一直在接受心理健康研究所医生的治疗。她一直情绪低落，并承受着来自家庭和学业的压力。

费萨尔中校表示，经调查，该女儿并未被认定为有较高的自杀风险。

他说：“新加坡民防部队对格蕾丝的家人进行了访谈，发现格蕾丝曾与他人分享过未来的愿望。她当时在工艺教育学院中央学院学习商业，并计划创业。”

LTC Faizal 表示，火灾起于主卧室的墙壁插座，而主卧室就在发现这家人所在的卧室附近。

他还补充说，高温彻底摧毁了主卧室的门，只剩下门铰链。

调查显示，墙壁插座后面的接线端子松动，导致内部过热，从而引发火灾。

Seow 的一位姐妹出席了听证会，她询问当时墙上的插座是否连接了任何电器。

费萨尔中校作证说，墙上插着一个延长线插座，可能连接着一台笔记本电脑和两台风扇。这些物品的残骸主要散落在地板上，因为大部分木工制品已被毁坏。

当 Seow 的妹妹问家人如何才能发现墙壁插座后面的接线端子松动时，费萨尔中校解释说，变色、噼啪声和烧焦的气味都是典型的迹象。

他补充说：“然而，导致火灾发生的主要原因是卧室和公寓里堆放了大量物品。”

州验尸官亚当·纳霍达将听证会延期至 10 月 12 日，以便法医病理学家详细说明这对母女的死因。

在听证会上，验尸官向萧的两位姐妹表示了慰问。

Nadine Chua是《海峡时报》负责报道犯罪和法庭新闻的记者。