Charging e-bike battery catches fire in West Coast flat; 160 residents evacuated, Latest Singapore News - The New Paper
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Charging e-bike battery catches fire in West Coast flat; 160 residents evacuated

About 160 residents were evacuated after a fire broke out in a West Coast Housing Board flat on Saturday night.

The fire had likely originated from the battery pack of a power-assisted bicycle (PAB) which was charging in a bedroom, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) on Sunday.

SCDF said in a Facebook post that it was alerted to the fire in the 12th storey flat at 11.15pm.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze, which involved contents in the bedroom, using a water jet. No injuries were reported.

SCDF reminded users of PABs and personal mobility devices (PMDs) not to charge the devices’ batteries for an extended period, and also not to buy or use non-original batteries.

Fires involving active mobility devices, including PMDs and e-bikes, saw a 33.3 per cent drop from 63 cases in 2021 to 42 in 2022, SCDF’s annual statistics report for 2022 released in February showed.

At that time, SCDF attributed the decrease to the implementation of regulatory measures.

However, it also said that such fires continue to be a concern for the authorities as the devices involved are often used by those with walking difficulties.

[Fire @ Block 511 West Coast Drive] At about 11:15 p.m. yesterday (20 May), SCDF was alerted to a fire in a 12th floor...

Posted by Singapore Civil Defence Force on Saturday, May 20, 2023
FIRESPERSONAL MOBILITY DEVICESSCDF