Jb Fire Sets Off Haze In Singapore

15 March 2007 (TODAY)

AFTER a fire broke out in Johor Baru on Tuesday night, residents living in
the eastern part of Singapore suddenly found their neighbourhood engulfed
in dense haze.

"The visibility got progressively worse by the second," said a Tampines St
72 resident - identifying herself only as Ms Chan - who called the
MediaCorp hotline. "When I opened my door, there was a strong burning
smell."

According to the Singapore Civil Defence Force, no fire broke out in
eastern Singapore last night.

The Johor Baru blaze originated at a chemical factory at Pasir Gudang,
across the Straits of Johor from the Pasir Ris-Tampines area, at 9pm. The
hotline started receiving calls from concerned residents in Tampines,
Punggol and Pasir Ris at around 10.45 pm.

By yesterday morning, virtually no trace of the haze remained. "Things
have improved this morning," said Ms Chan. "The visibility is back to
normal and the smell of smoke has gone away."

An National Environment Agency spokesman said the smoke had been blown
over by the northerly winds but did not adversely affect the overall air
quality in Singapore.

As of 4pm yesterday, PSI readings were at a healthy 34, and readings for
the east were no higher than that for other areas. - Lin Yan Qin