When a Fire Became a Family Torn Apart
The Crackle That Stole a Brother
Picture this: the radio crackles, a downtown blaze at Robinsons in Raffles Place, and Mr Sivalingam Sundaresan, now 79, grabs the nearest pile of fire blankets and rushes straight to the scene. His older brother, Sivasundaram, was busy as a lift attendant in the three‑storey shop with that forgotten basement. The flames kicked off at 10 a.m., and the brave firefighters kept fighting till around 5 p.m., only then finally holding them back.
Waiting, Waiting, and… Still Waiting
- He didn’t leave the neighbourhood until after the final siren was silenced.
- His heart beat in the quiet alleys of the city, hoping for a “just in case” call or a tiny burst of dust that might say: “I’m okay!”
- But that morning, the sunlight went cold, and Sivalingam realized his brother was no longer there.
“I kept waiting. I had a sliver of hope he’d made it back home,” he vows, his voice cracking with emotions. “The day after the fire, I’m still crying. Then journalists knocked on my door, right there in my kitchen, and they confirmed the worst: he was gone.”
Futile Efforts to Bring Him Home
- The next week, the funeral house on Outram Road—now part of SGH—handed out a bone fragment, a small rest piece.
- And his watch, the trusty Seiko that had ticked on the day of the disaster, sat beside the bone in a drawer.
The hours at the cemetery in Choa Chu Kang were silent. Only his father could stand beside him, “I’m sorry you had to feel so much of your brother’s fear.” His mother, meanwhile, had sailed across the ocean to India.
Keeping a Hard‑to‑Wear Gift
Even now, the watch sits in a secret drawer—one that he rarely opens. “Every time I open it, I can’t help but think about all the pain and terror our family endured,” Sivalingam confesses, hoping that if he could maybe forget a little more, maybe the desert of grief would widen into an oasis of healing.
You can’t quite understand the mix of absurdity and nostalgia when you’re watching a machine keep time—a watch, rather. At the same time, that watch is a lifeline for a man that is trying to pry open seasoned old memories. But the man’s tether is also shared with oh, it isn’t there. The worried backward watch that was stolen.
Now He’s in The Quiet
He’s not in touch with his brother’s widow or the two kids. 17 months after the fire, he does not even dare to look at the watch. The surgeon keeps his brother in his heart a place better then only because his brother has intoxicated the same body? The page is in his life.
Keeping It Safe with a Sense of Humor
- “I can’t even avoid opening it a sometimes.”
- He decides to act on the travel time for possibility of avoided an ultimate discussion.
For a while now, he is the single person that keeps watches that will stay in the half of this life of the challenge is a quiet. It deserves eternity. And the father—they have lots of users.
<img alt="" data-caption="The fire was so intense, all that was left of Mr Sivalingam’s brother was a fragment of a hip bone and the watch he wore that day.
PHOTO: The Straits Times” data-entity-type=”file” data-entity-uuid=”d7d875f1-20ab-46f6-a7b4-a24306cf4c2f” src=”/sites/default/files/inline-images/rust.png”/>
The Day the Lifts Lost Their Lift
In a tragedy that shocked the whole neighborhood, nine souls paid the ultimate price when a sudden power outage caught a towering shopping center overhead. The crisis began with a simple flicker of the lights, and quickly turned into a nightmare.
Eight Victims – Locked Inside Escalators
- Mr. Sivasundaram – a quiet gentleman who met a brutal end in the elevator that jammed.
- Seven other souls – all trapped in the same elevators when the power went dark.
- All drowned in the fear that the elevators would never lift them back to safety.
Madam Lee Jow Keng – A Cleaner Who Moved Past Safety
By day, Lee Jow Keng was the unsung hero scrubbing toilets on the second floor. She had a knack for sliding into the most unlikely spots and, tragically, refused to leave that very building when the alarms began to wail.
Ms. Jenny Chan – The Survivor with a Paintbrush
At 74, Ms. Chan was in a world of color and paint—creating a Christmas backdrop beside a display window on the ground floor. She recalls the first eerie signs of trouble: the lights went out at 9:50 am, followed by a thin, grey smoke snaking out from the ladies’ underwear section.
“It was just a power failure,” she says.
When the blackout hit, nobody let out a chaotic scream. Ms. Chan, oblivious to the looming danger, simply walked out with her brush and a calm that would later be described as heroic. Only later did she learn that fire had erupted behind her. Her story is a testament to how quickly a quiet building can become a nightmare.
Key Takeaways
- Power failures can have deadly consequences—especially in busy commercial spaces.
- Quick awareness is critical—even if it seems like a minor glitch.
- Sometimes the bravest act is just hanging on to your routine—it can be the difference between life and death.
In a city that never sleeps, today’s tragedy reminds us that every day holds potential dangers. Remember to check those lights, heed that faint smoke, and, most of all, never forget the bravery of those who survived through sheer will and a splash of paint.
<img alt="" data-caption="Firemen fighting the fire at the Robinsons department store building in Raffles Place on Nov 21, 1972.
PHOTO: The Straits Times” data-entity-type=”file” data-entity-uuid=”ed6041b8-0230-41e0-ab83-017e53438641″ src=”/sites/default/files/inline-images/blackololol.png”/>
A Life‑Saving Power‑Up in the Men’s Outfitting Department
Back in 2003, a 19‑year‑old part‑time employee named Robert Tan was hustling out shirts for an Indonesian tourist who bought the pieces with foreign cash.
Step 1 – The Transfer Trek
To turn that payment into real money, Tan took a quick elevator ride from the ground‑floor showroom up to Robinsons’ head office on the third floor. But then he saw the tourist hanging out, not wanting to keep him waiting, he decided to ditch the elevator and run down the stairs.
Step 2 – A Spark‑Storm Surprise
- While sprinting back down, Tan’s eyes snag on a sudden flare—one of the ceiling wires erupted into flames.
- Every spark seemed like a tiny dynamite fuse bolting across the wire.
- With heart pounding, he sprinted toward the ground floor to check if it was safe.
Step 3 – The Moment Remembered (Now 69 Years Old)
Later, the now‑elderly Robert Tan told the news team, “When I was rushing down to the ground floor, I watched one of the wires on the ceiling burst into flames, and the sparks shot across the wire like a dynamite fuse.”
What began as a routine sales call turned into a real‑life saga for a young cashier who didn’t let a customer wait—only to find himself face‑to‑face with an unexpected electrical blaze.
<img alt="" data-caption="Mr Robert Tan was a part-timer in the men’s outfitting department in Robinsons when the fire broke out.
PHOTO: The Straits Times” data-entity-type=”file” data-entity-uuid=”71d258fb-9f8d-45a0-bb55-13c756e00d9c” src=”/sites/default/files/inline-images/manman.png”/>
Fire Alert Fiasco at Robinsons – A Day to Remember
Picture This
Mr. Tan, all non‑techy and on suspense duty, immediately fired off a warning to his boss, Mr. Aw Chin Hu. Moments later, the fire alarm blared – a classic “sudden loud music” that had everyone scrambling.
Smoke Gets Smokier
- The first breath of smoke was a flat, grey haze, but it quickly turned into a dreadfully black curtain.
- Some brave staff tried to tackle the blaze, but the fire crews were blocked out – nothing about a heroic Titan montage here.
- Mr. Tan and Ms. Chan ducked into the garden over the underground car park, the official safe spot told by the company.
When “Missing” Turns Serious
Later on the same day, Ms. Chan turned the “lost and found” conversation into a nightmare: her colleague, 22‑year‑old Ms. Ainon Mohamed Tahir, who was pregnant with seven months, had gone missing.
- Ainon was later confirmed by police as one of the nine fatal victims – that’s a big blow.
- When her mother and husband rushed in, the rooms were soaked in tears and disbelief.
- Ms. Chan recounted a moment that felt straight out of a tragic TV drama: “She asked why we didn’t bring her with us. Her mother was crying, and it was heartrending for all of us.”
All Feelings, No Victory
Despite the best intentions and trying to rally together, the team couldn’t locate Ms. Ainon. “We wanted to save her, but she was nowhere to be found,” they said, highlighting the helplessness in the face of an emergency.
Takeaway
Fire drills and real fires are uncomfortably close cousins. Have a plan, be ready, and, while you’re at it, keep the safety siren sounding off before it starts a movie‑length drama!
<img alt="" data-caption="(From left) Ms Jenny Chan, who was an employee at Robinson’s when the fire occurred, Mr Jamal Singh, who was the routine officer from Central Police Divison on duty during the fire, and Mr Tan Wee Him, a former photographer with The Straits Times, who covered the Robinson’s fire.
PHOTO: The Straits Times” data-entity-type=”file” data-entity-uuid=”5527d6c3-7adc-46b0-9a15-ed11bb34fba8″ src=”/sites/default/files/inline-images/sikhhh.png”/>
Mid‑August Madness at Downtown Singapore
Picture this: Mr. Tan Wee Him, a 24‑year‑old photographer for The Straits Times, was on the front lines when an inferno erupted somewhere between Robinsons and the John Little department store. Instead of getting swept up in the flames, he found himself huddled behind the sturdy pillars of the opposite shop, seeking cool relief from the blazing sun.
The Epic Meltdown
The blaze wasn’t just intense; it was world‑record‑breaking. In the heatwave’s glare, a statue of the Roman god of commerce, Mercury, perched on the roof of Robinsons, went from majestic to liquid gold and then to a perfectly melted masterpiece. Mr. Tan, now 74, looked back on that day as the moment he saw history literally melt.
Fire‑fighting 101
- 18 fire engines rushed to the scene—yes, MORE than a typical emergency.
- Some hoses decided the hydrants were too short and popped out like rubber band contest winners.
- When the pressure was low, the brave firefighters turned to the Singapore River, pumping water like a scene from a water‑bubbling adventure movie.
Victory at Noon‑Plus
By 12:20 pm, the inferno was tamed enough for the firefighters to declare “All Clear.” However, the building remained off‑limits for safety reasons. People had to keep their curiosity at bay, even as the flames had finally subsided.
Memories & Lessons
Reflecting on the event, Mr. Tan said, “Standing behind that pillar felt like a scene from a Western, just with a lot more heat and perhaps fewer guns.” The incident reminded everyone that even when a statue melts, the flames can bring an entire city’s emergency teams into action—and that sometimes you just need a good story to keep the fire department’s morale high.
<img alt="" data-caption="The aftermath of the fire at Robinsons department store at Raffles Place.
PHOTO: The Straits Times” data-entity-type=”file” data-entity-uuid=”f7812a1f-45a4-4297-ae0b-52311e66541c” src=”/sites/default/files/inline-images/firefire.png”/>
Remembering a Tragic Flame: The Robinsons Fire
After the innocuous summer heat hit the city, the Robinsons building turned into a smoky tragedy. Even the next day, wisps of blue‑grey haze continued to drift from the charred shell, reminding everyone that some disasters refuse to stay quiet.
The 24‑Year‑Old Inspector Who Gave a Hand
Back in 2001, a young police inspector named Jamal Singh—then just 24, now 74—was assigned to the scene. He walked into a place that was still standing, but with every floor gone and replaced by a heap of numbed, wooden debris.
“We got there, saw a ghost of the building, and started digging,”
Singh helped recover the bodies of nine victims, a grim task that weighed heavily on him as he tried to calm the frantic survivors and the grieving families.
Full of Pain, Still Full of Hope
Mr. Sivalingam, a brother and a friend of one of the victims, talked about the sheer agony the blaze inflicted. “They were burned to death,” he said, “a horrible, intense pain we can’t even imagine. I’m so sorry for my brother and everyone who had to say goodbye.”
- Fire Deaths: 9 people
- Physical Loss: wooden floors and half a building
- Moral: A call to prevent such tragedies
“This should never happen again.”
The incident resonated strongly, prompting community leaders and emergency responders to vow extra safety checks and better fire training. The Robinsons fire will forever stand as a chilling reminder that every building—no matter how sturdy—can be reduced to ashes by a single spark.
— Article first appeared in The Straits Times
