SINGAPORE: An 88-year-old man has died two days after a fire broke out at a fifth-storey flat along Race Course Road, said the police in an update on Wednesday (Aug 5).

He was one of five people, aged between 55 and 88, taken to hospital after the blaze at Block 684 Race Course Road on Monday.

Police said the man, who was unconscious when taken to hospital, died on Wednesday.

First responders had arrived to find one of the unit’s bedrooms ablaze and several people trapped inside.

Police officers forcibly gained entry into the locked flat and rescued a woman. Shortly after, Singapore Civil Defence Force officers (SCDF) rescued the remaining four victims. Three of the five people rescued were found unconscious.

About 50 residents from the block were evacuated during the operation.

The fire was extinguished using a water jet, and investigations into its cause are ongoing.

The incident happened days after another fire in Clementi killed one person and injured two firefighters.

SCDF said that firefighters responding to the blaze at Block 309 Clementi Avenue 4 found the dry rising main to be "not in proper working condition", forcing them to haul the hoses up eight floors.