An alleged case of negligent handling of dangerous or harmful substances led to an explosion near the swimming pool at Thomson Three condominium in Bright Hill Drive. It was suspected that the staff had an accident while handling chlorine powder (chlorine).
A loud explosion was heard next to the swimming pool of the Thomson Three condominium on April 22 at about 4.15pm, while a group of children were learning to swim. The children quickly left the pool. A 36-year-old man was injured but he refused to be taken to hospital said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) which responded to the incident.
Shin Min Daily News reported that Ms Chen (a 62 years old housewife) informed them that she heard a loud explosion in her house. She lives in a HDB flat near the condo. Soon after, she found multiple fire trucks, ambulances and police cars. When she went to check what happened, she learned that there was an incident in the condominium.
“I didn’t see any smoke or fire, I just saw paramedics carrying stretchers into the apartment,” she told Shin Min. Then, she found a cordoned-off area around the swimming pool of the condo, which led her to believe that the accident happened in the swimming pool.
A friend of hers, who lives in the condominium, said a pool worker appeared to be injured after a loud explosion.
Nearby children leave the pool in a hurry
Shin Min said the management of the condo was unwilling to respond to its queries about the accident. A resident who witnessed the incident said that a group of children were taking swimming lessons at the time. They heard a loud “bang” and some children left the pool one after another.
When asked, the Civil Defence Force confirmed that it had received reports of the fire, which originated from a chemical powder that had quickly set itself aflame before the Civil Defence officers arrived. One person suffered minor injuries in the accident but refused to be taken to hospital.
Police said they are investigating an incident of negligent acts involving dangerous or harmful substances.
Chlorine is not combustible, but it enhances the combustion of other substances. Chlorine reacts violently with many organic compounds, ammonia, hydrogen, and finely divided metals, causing fire and explosion hazards. The agent may ignite combustibles (wood, paper, oil, clothing, etc.).
By far chlorine is the most harmful of the chemicals because when chlorine burns, it becomes a gas and gets into the air, which can have potential harmful health effects.