Man started fire due to delusion that neighbour was attacking him, landing firemen in hospital
Liu Zheyuan suffered from a delusional disorder and believed that his neighbour shot laser beams and sent strong currents through his ceiling to disturb him.
A man was arrested after a fire broke out at Block 14, Joo Seng Road on May 4, 2026. Ten people were taken to hospital. (Photos: Facebook/Ambrose Lee, SCDF)
New: You can now listen to articles.
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
SINGAPORE: A man suffering from a delusional disorder thought his upstairs neighbour was attacking him and started a fire with charcoal in his own flat.
The fire spread, leading to the evacuation of residents and at least two firefighters being taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.
Liu Zheyuan, a 44-year-old Singaporean, pleaded guilty on Monday (Jun 22) to rashly causing a fire in a flat along Joo Seng Road.
The court heard that Liu was suffering from a delusional disorder and believed that his upstairs neighbour had intentionally shot laser beams and sent strong currents through his ceiling to disturb him over the previous two years.
On May 4 this year, Liu thought he was facing another such attack from his neighbour that was causing pain in his head and ears.
This led him to burn charcoal in an attempt to ward off the attack.
He placed two pieces of charcoal and fire starters in a stainless steel pot and lit the charcoal.
He then placed the pot on a metal rack near the open window in the living room and added more charcoal.
The fire grew larger and set a plastic curtain ablaze before spreading to the whole unit.
Panicking, Liu tried to put out the fire but could not.
He called the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) for help and ran to inform his neighbours to evacuate.
AFTERMATH
Two SCDF officers who helped extinguish the fire were taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and were discharged a day later.
The Housing and Development Board said the fire had damaged the common area, estimating that repairs would cost about S$80,000 (US$61,896) to S$100,000.
Liu was remanded at the Institute of Mental Health where it was assessed that he was suffering from a delusional disorder at the time.
This was on the basis of his reports of somatic and persecutory ideas towards his neighbour over the previous two years.
The ideas that his neighbour shot laser beams and sent currents through his ceiling were “fixed, false beliefs” and his parents who lived with him confirmed they were not true.
Liu’s condition was assessed to be moderate in severity, given his fixation and the distress he experienced from the perceived disturbances.
A minor contributory link was found between his psychiatric condition and the offence, but Liu was not of unsound mind at the time.
The court called for a report assessing Liu’s suitability for a mandatory treatment order and adjourned sentencing to July.
For rashly causing a fire, he could be jailed for up to a year, fined up to S$5,000, or both.
Source: CNA/ll
Sign up for our newsletters
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
About The Author
