100 in Yishun evacuated due to e-bike, PMD fires
More than 100 residents in Yishun were evacuated on Aug 23 in two separate fires likely caused by batteries in mobility devices.
No injuries were reported for both fires.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the first incident, which occurred at Block 392 Yishun Avenue 6, at about 1.25pm.
Firefighters forcefully entered the affected unit on the sixth floor and extinguished the fire in the living room using a water jet.
Sixteen residents from the affected block were evacuated by the police as a precautionary measure.
SCDF said that the fire involved a personal mobility device (PMD) in the living room and that preliminary findings indicated that the cause of the fire was likely to be of electrical origin from the PMD battery.
The second fire occurred at Block 345 Yishun Avenue 11. Firefighters from Yishun Fire Station were alerted to the incident at about 11.40pm, SCDF said.
It added that the fire on the eighth floor involved a bedroom and was extinguished with a water jet, but it had also caused the living room area to sustain heat and smoke damage.
An occupant who was in the unit had already evacuated before the firefighters’ arrival, and later declined to be taken to hospital.
As a precautionary measure, about 100 residents from the affected block were also evacuated by the police and SCDF.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the fire had likely originated from power-assisted bicycle (PAB) batteries in the bedroom, SCDF said.
Several videos of the fire posted onto the Sgfollowsall Telegram channel show that the blaze could be seen clearly from neighbouring buildings. Thick smoke is also visibly billowing out of the unit’s window.
At least three fire engines and a police car are also at the scene in the videos.
More fires involving active mobility devices (AMDs) raged in 2023 compared with 2022, marking the rise of such blazes again after three years.
These fires – involving PMDs, PABs and personal mobility aids – increased by 31 per cent to 55 cases in 2023, up from 42 fires in 2022.
The latest numbers reverse the trend in AMD fires, which had dropped from 2019 to 2022.
In February, during the release of its annual statistics, SCDF said that such fires were a key fire safety concern.
“Members of the public are reminded to remain vigilant when handling their AMDs, as these fires can result in serious injuries and damage to property,” it said.
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