FIRE broke out in a forested area in Sengkang yesterday afternoon.
An area the size of two football fields was razed to the ground at the junction of Sengkang East Drive and Sengkang East Avenue.Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) firefighters brought the blaze under control about an hour after arriving at the scene. But small pockets of the fire blazed on and fire crew continued monitoring to prevent the flames from spreading.
Mr Lai Muy Tuck, who fishes regularly at a river next to the forest, was surprised by the fire.
'I never expected that the forested area here would catch fire. There are very few people around this area in the afternoons. It's a very peaceful place,' said the 58-year-old.
In the first two weeks of last month, northern parts of the island around Seletar recorded less than 10mm of rainfall, which is between 95 and 100 per cent below the long-term average of 244mm, according to the National Environment Agency website.
SCDF is looking into the cause of the fire.
No one was hurt and no property was damaged.
ESTHER TAN