E-scooter sets off sparks and starts fire at HDB unit in Woodlands
Delivery rider injured in fire at Woodlands flat
Flat owner Junainah Sulaiman, 31, was asleep in the bedroom on Tuesday morning while her two daughters, aged 10 and 11, were having breakfast.
Her boyfriend, Mr Mohammad Faizul, 39, was also in the sixth-storey unit at Block 806, Woodlands Street 81, and one of the girls reminded him that his e-scooter was still being charged outside.
When Mr Faizul pulled the e-scooter's plug out of the charging socket, sparks appeared and almost immediately, a fire broke out.
Ms Junainah told The New Paper yesterday: "There was a loud explosion and I ran out and saw the fire.
"I immediately ran into my bedroom with my daughters because I could not see through the smoke in the living room. I shouted for help from the window and asked passers-by downstairs to call 995."
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said its officers responded to the fire at 8.48am.
By the time SCDF personnel arrived at the scene, the couple had already evacuated the flat after extinguishing the fire using buckets of water.
Mr Faizul, a part-time Deliveroo rider, suffered burns on his back and right arm.
His two-month-old Ultron V9 e-scooter was purchased off Carousell and he said it had no charging problems prior to the incident.
Mr Faizul said he had always charged his e-scooter for close to five hours, but it had been charging for only three hours before the incident.
When TNP visited the flat, the front-facing wall was black with soot.
The SCDF said the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Member of Parliament Amrin Amin posted safety tips for charging Personal Mobility Devices on Facebook after the incident, and urged users to avoid overcharging batteries.
In a separate incident yesterday, a fire broke out at Block 164, Simei Road.
The SCDF was alerted to this fire at 3.20pm.
Police evacuated around 150 residents and SCDF firefighters extinguished the flames using two water jets.
One firefighter suffered from heat exhaustion and was taken to Changi General Hospital.
The SCDF said the cause of this fire is also under investigation.
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