SINGAPORE: The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said on Wednesday (Nov 8) that there has been a spike in fire incidents involving personal mobility devices recently, with two such incidents occurring over the past two days.
Both incidents were caused by the charging of electric scooters.
The SCDF were alerted to the first incident at about 10.40am on Tuesday at Block 260, Yishun Street 22. Items in the bedroom were destroyed and four residents were taken to hospitals, the SCDF said in a Facebook post.
The fire incident at Blk 260 Yishun Street 22 on Tuesday (Nov 7). (Photo: SCDF)
The second incident happened on Wednesday morning at about 6.30am at Block 548, Pasir Ris Street 51, where items on the flat’s balcony were destroyed. No injuries were reported.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the fires were caused by the charging of personal mobility devices (PMDs), SCDF said.
“The popularity of personal mobility devices such as electric scooters in Singapore has risen in recent years. There has also been a spike in fire incidents involving the PMDs,” SCDF said.
There were 31 cases of fires involving PMDs from January to September this year, up from 19 cases over the same period last year.
Users of personal mobility devices, such as electric bicycles, should take steps not to overcharge the battery and avoid charging them overnight, said SCDF in the Facebook post.
It added that the batteries should not be placed near combustible materials while charging.
