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SINGAPORE - If not for his dog, Mr Teddy Tay might not have found out that his flat was on fire.
And if not for his neighbour, he might not have got out as quickly as he did.
Mr Teddy Tay, 62, was feeding his terrapins on Thursday in his three-room flat at Block 63, Kallang Bahru, at about 10am when his dog started barking incessantly.
He thought that the animal's behaviour was strange and went out of his bedroom to investigate.
A wall of thick, black smoke had engulfed the kitchen of his seventh-storey unit, attracting more than 100 onlookers below.
His wife had gone to the market, but his son, who works the night shift, was sleeping in his room.
Mr Tay, who suffered a stroke a year ago, shouted at him to wake up.
Together with their seven-year-old poodle, Wang Wang, they made their way out of their flat.
"We're very thankful for Wang Wang. He saved our lives," Mr Tay told The New Paper on Thursday.
Just outside the flat, they met the other hero of the hour, 10th-storey resident and off-duty police officer Latiff Hamid, 23, who had been looking for the source of the fire.
He helped Mr Tay down the stairs, where the Tays were joined by their relatives who live in the neighbouring blocks.
Mr Latiff then continued to run up and down the block, evacuating residents and mobilising others to do likewise.
Earlier that day, Mr Latiff was about to go to sleep when he noticed the smoke entering his living room.
He said: "I knew something wasn't right, so I got up and located the source."
Once the Tays were safe, he ran up to each floor to warn other residents to get out of the building. "I went door to door to warn them about the fire," he said.
"I also asked them to switch off their electrical appliances before leaving."
Mr Latiff roped in others to help him alert their neighbours.
Tired and sweaty, he ran from unit to unit to usher neighbours to the stairs.
"Most of them were shocked to see someone wearing T-shirt and shorts asking them to leave their homes," he said.
"They didn't know that I was an officer, but I'm glad they remained calm and followed the instructions I gave."
Once Mr Latiff took them to safety, he went back up to the Tays' seventh-storey unit.
He said: "I borrowed a (piece of) damp cloth from one of the neighbours and wrapped my head in it." He then entered the burning unit to assess the situation.
Intense heat
"I stepped into the living room, and the heat was really intense. I was carrying a bucket of water, so I did my best to tame the flames."
Despite not wearing any protective gear, Mr Latiff did not think twice about entering the unit.
He said: "At that point in time, I couldn't care less about my safety. It felt natural, like I was just doing my job. Except that this time, I wasn't in my blue uniform."
He visited more than 10 units and evacuated more than 15 people.
His neighbours were grateful to him.
Said retiree A.Z. Lim, 62: "He was so hardworking. He kept going up and down the stairs, and made sure that everyone was safe."
Sisters Nur Farizah, 11, and Nur Farzana, nine, were at home on the ninth storey and were traumatised after hearing the glass windows in the Tays' flat shatter from the heat.
Said Farzana: "He (Mr Latiff) asked us to get out of the flat and he turned off our electrical circuits."
The girls' mother, Madam Farida Haniffa, 45, was thankful that Mr Latiff was around.
The housewife was at the market and her husband had gone down to see if other neighbours needed help. He thought his daughters were behind him but they had panicked and remained in the flat.
"That young chap is such a good Samaritan. It's very hard to find such people nowadays, so it's a nice surprise," Madam Farida gushed.
"He truly is a hero."
When contacted, an SCDF spokesman said the fire was confined to the utility room of the unit.
Seven vehicles, including two fire engines, were sent to the scene, and the flames were extinguished in 15 minutes.
No one was injured and the SCDF is investigating the cause of the blaze.
When asked about what he had done, Mr Latiff said: "I won't consider myself a hero. I was just concentrating on getting everyone out. It feels good, though, that I was able to help my neighbours
And if not for his neighbour, he might not have got out as quickly as he did.
Mr Teddy Tay, 62, was feeding his terrapins on Thursday in his three-room flat at Block 63, Kallang Bahru, at about 10am when his dog started barking incessantly.
He thought that the animal's behaviour was strange and went out of his bedroom to investigate.
A wall of thick, black smoke had engulfed the kitchen of his seventh-storey unit, attracting more than 100 onlookers below.
His wife had gone to the market, but his son, who works the night shift, was sleeping in his room.
Mr Tay, who suffered a stroke a year ago, shouted at him to wake up.
Together with their seven-year-old poodle, Wang Wang, they made their way out of their flat.
"We're very thankful for Wang Wang. He saved our lives," Mr Tay told The New Paper on Thursday.
Just outside the flat, they met the other hero of the hour, 10th-storey resident and off-duty police officer Latiff Hamid, 23, who had been looking for the source of the fire.
He helped Mr Tay down the stairs, where the Tays were joined by their relatives who live in the neighbouring blocks.
Mr Latiff then continued to run up and down the block, evacuating residents and mobilising others to do likewise.
Earlier that day, Mr Latiff was about to go to sleep when he noticed the smoke entering his living room.
He said: "I knew something wasn't right, so I got up and located the source."
Once the Tays were safe, he ran up to each floor to warn other residents to get out of the building. "I went door to door to warn them about the fire," he said.
"I also asked them to switch off their electrical appliances before leaving."
Mr Latiff roped in others to help him alert their neighbours.
Tired and sweaty, he ran from unit to unit to usher neighbours to the stairs.
"Most of them were shocked to see someone wearing T-shirt and shorts asking them to leave their homes," he said.
"They didn't know that I was an officer, but I'm glad they remained calm and followed the instructions I gave."
Once Mr Latiff took them to safety, he went back up to the Tays' seventh-storey unit.
He said: "I borrowed a (piece of) damp cloth from one of the neighbours and wrapped my head in it." He then entered the burning unit to assess the situation.
Intense heat
"I stepped into the living room, and the heat was really intense. I was carrying a bucket of water, so I did my best to tame the flames."
Despite not wearing any protective gear, Mr Latiff did not think twice about entering the unit.
He said: "At that point in time, I couldn't care less about my safety. It felt natural, like I was just doing my job. Except that this time, I wasn't in my blue uniform."
He visited more than 10 units and evacuated more than 15 people.
His neighbours were grateful to him.
Said retiree A.Z. Lim, 62: "He was so hardworking. He kept going up and down the stairs, and made sure that everyone was safe."
Sisters Nur Farizah, 11, and Nur Farzana, nine, were at home on the ninth storey and were traumatised after hearing the glass windows in the Tays' flat shatter from the heat.
Said Farzana: "He (Mr Latiff) asked us to get out of the flat and he turned off our electrical circuits."
The girls' mother, Madam Farida Haniffa, 45, was thankful that Mr Latiff was around.
The housewife was at the market and her husband had gone down to see if other neighbours needed help. He thought his daughters were behind him but they had panicked and remained in the flat.
"That young chap is such a good Samaritan. It's very hard to find such people nowadays, so it's a nice surprise," Madam Farida gushed.
"He truly is a hero."
When contacted, an SCDF spokesman said the fire was confined to the utility room of the unit.
Seven vehicles, including two fire engines, were sent to the scene, and the flames were extinguished in 15 minutes.
No one was injured and the SCDF is investigating the cause of the blaze.
When asked about what he had done, Mr Latiff said: "I won't consider myself a hero. I was just concentrating on getting everyone out. It feels good, though, that I was able to help my neighbours
