Fire reported at Pulau Ubin

Leong Wai Kit, News 5 Tonight Channel NewsAsia 25 Jun 15;

SINGAPORE: The fire that broke out at Pulau Ubin on Wednesday (Jun 24) has been extinguished, confirmed the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Thursday.

Channel NewsAsia understands that the fire was raging from as early as 9.15pm, and was estimated to be covering an area twice the size of a football field.

At least 10 officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) arrived at Pulau Ubin, where they were escorted by Police Coast Guard to the fire site near Ketam Bike Trail.

By around midnight on Thursday, the fire had been put out, said the police. According to an SCDF statement issued at about the same time, it had received a call for assistance at 9.18pm and had deployed a fire engine, a Red Rhino and one special vehicle to the site. There, the authorities discovered a piece of vegetation had caught fire, which was later put out using four canvas beaters and a bucket of water.

No injuries were reported and no evacuation had to be done, said SCDF, adding that investigations are still ongoing.

Outward Bound Singapore (OBS), which has a facility on the island, also posted a message on Facebook to assure "concerned parents and members of the public that none of (their) OBS participants and staff (were) affected by the fire".

- CNA/hs

Bush fire breaks out on Pulau Ubin bike trail
ROYSTON SIM The Straits Times 25 Jun 15;

SINGAPORE - A bush fire that spanned about two football fields broke out at a bike trail on Pulau Ubin on Wednesday (June 24) night.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force received a call at 9.18pm, and dispatched one fire engine, one red rhino and one special vehicle to Ketam bike trail on Pulau Ubin.

An SCDF spokesman said the flames were extinguished with four canvass beaters and buckets of water. No one on the island had to be evacuated, nor were there injuries due to the blaze.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

SCDF puts out bush fire on Ubin
Amelia Teng Straits Times AsiaOne 26 Jun 15;

A BUSH fire that broke out near a cycling trail on Pulau Ubin on Wednesday night was put out within two hours.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) received a call at 9.20pm about the fire near the Ketam bike trail.

Ten firefighters and their equipment were conveyed to Pulau Ubin by a Police Coast Guard (PCG) boat from the coast guard's Loyang Base, and arrived at the site of the blaze using various vehicles from the PCG and the National Parks Board.

An SCDF spokesman said there were pockets of fire in an area the size of about two football fields.

The fire was extinguished by 11.30pm. No one was hurt or had to be evacuated.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

Outward Bound Singapore (OBS), which has a facility on the island, assured parents and other members of the public on its Facebook page that none of the OBS participants or staff were affected by the fire.

The Ketam trail, which winds about 8km around Ketam Quarry, attracts about 300 cyclists every weekend, according to a Straits Times report in 2013.

Completed in 2007, it is the first trail in Singapore to meet international standards for mountain biking competitions, which include trail safety, planning and design.