Fire at Gul Drive warehouse extinguished swiftly, no injuries reported

SINGAPORE: A fire broke out at a warehouse located at 23 Gul Drive in Singapore early on 16 April 2025, prompting a swift emergency response. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) announced in a Facebook post that it was alerted to the incident at approximately 6.15am. SCDF personnel deployed water jets and an unmanned firefighting machine to extinguish the fire. The blaze was brought under control within an hour, although damping down operations continued afterwards to prevent reignition. According to SCDF, the fire involved waste materials stored inside the warehouse, which measured approximately 20 metres by 40 metres. There were no reported injuries. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The site is home to several businesses. According to The Straits Times, companies registered at the address include Lirich Resources, a waste management firm that operates a 50,000 square foot facility. When contacted, Qris Loke, listed on the company’s website as co-founder and managing director, declined to comment. Loke’s profile indicates that she co-founded a logistics and transportation company in 2011, and later expanded into engineering and waste management with the founding of Lirich Resources in 2014 and Lirich Engineering in 2016. She is also noted to be involved in charitable causes and serves as a grassroots patron in Singapore. Another company previously listed at the address, Biofix Agri, stated that it no longer operates from the premises. This is not the first time a fire has occurred at the warehouse. In June 2022, the same premises experienced a fire that required approximately 50 SCDF personnel to extinguish using water and foam jets. That incident also resulted in no injuries.

SCDF conducted 10 inspections, issued four fire hazard abatement notices to Kranji warehouse

The recent Gul Drive fire follows heightened attention on fire safety at industrial facilities, particularly after a serious incident on 19 February 2025 at a warehouse in 11 Kranji Crescent. That fire lasted four days, finally being extinguished on 23 February. During a parliamentary session on 6 March, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment, Amy Khor, revealed that the Kranji warehouse had been subject to multiple inspections by regulatory authorities. The National Environment Agency (NEA) conducted six inspections since 2021, while SCDF carried out ten between 2018 and 2024. The facility received four fire hazard abatement notices and three notices of offence for non-compliance. Although these violations were later rectified, SCDF reported a total of seven fire safety breaches, including unauthorised fire safety works. Such violations carry potential penalties of up to S$5,000, or for more serious breaches, fines of up to S$200,000, imprisonment of up to 24 months, or both. The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) later ordered restricted access to damaged parts of the Kranji structure. Investigations into regulatory compliance remain ongoing. The Kranji site has experienced multiple fires, with previous incidents in 2018, 2023, and 2024, raising further questions about long-term fire safety practices in industrial zones.