A man's skeletal remains were found amid burnt residue in a fourth floor flat at Block 148, Woodlands Street 13, on May 7 last year.
A fire investigation report by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) revealed that flammable liquid was detected on a metal container found near the body and on the dead man's trousers - suggesting the likelihood of the fire having been deliberately set using thinner as an accelerant.
The SCDF also said a lighter recovered near the man's remains could have been used to spark off the blaze.
State Coroner Victor Yeo, however, on Wednesday recorded an open verdict as the man's identity could not be determined - the body was already severely decomposed by the time the authorities found it.
The Coroner's Court heard that the flat belonged to a man identified as Wong Kok Cheong, 48, who is currently still untraceable. Station Inspector (SI) Teo Teck Heng, the investigation officer handling the case, said the police had searched Mr Wong's letterbox and found it filled with unopened letters addressed to him.
Two shavers, a tongue scraper and a comb taken from the flat were sent to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for DNA profiling.
The HSA also conducted DNA tests on the dead man's tooth and bone marrow but the profile obtained from the bone marrow did not match the ones taken from the seized items. The DNA profile was also not traced to any known person.
The body was discovered after a Housing Board contract supervisor, Mr Tan Soon Wan, entered the flat with two of his workers to conduct a check on the unit. He entered a bedroom and spotted the body lying outside an attached bathroom.
SI Teo told the court that police did not suspect foul play and that an autopsy report said the man possibly died from inhaling fumes from the fire.
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