Another Fire Caused By E-scooter In AMK, 60 People Evacuated

Another day, another fire caused by an E-scooter.

On Monday afternoon (July 22), four people were rescued after a fire broke out in a fourth-floor unit at Block 224 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post that they responded to the fire at around 3.05 pm.

The fire engulfed the entire unit and was still raging when the SCDF arrived.

This video from Stomp shows the unit on fire and vast amounts of smoke emanating from the flat.

The SCDF rescued one adult and three children from the immediate neighbouring unit. 60 other inhabitants of the affected block were also evacuated by SCDF and SPF officers.

The fire was eventually extinguished with one water jet.

Caused By An E-scooter

According to the SCDF, preliminary investigations revealed that a “Personal Mobility Device (PMD) placed in the kitchen” was the cause of the fire.

Use Certified E-scooters

In their statement on Facebook, the SCDF reminded the public to use properly certified E-scooters to avoid such accidents in the future.

The SCDF also reminded the public about LTA’s newly-introduced requirement of certification for all Personal Mobility Devices (PMDs).

All PMDs will have to be UL2272 certified from 1 January 2021, in an effort to “improve public safety and minimize fire incidents”. Retailers will also be prohibited from selling non-UL2272 certified devices from 1 July 2019.

However, the LTA encouraged PMD owners to switch to UL2272 certified devices as soon as possible to “minimize the risk of fires for their own safety as well as those around them”.

Learn more about the UL2272 certification here.

Fire Safety Tips

In their post on Facebook, the SCDF also included some fire safety tips for owners of PMDs and PABs.

Do’s

• Charge the PMDs and PABs on a hard and flat surface to allow for optimal dissipation of heat
• Examine the batteries regularly for damage
• Purchase PMDs with the UL2272 certification mark

Don’ts

• Overcharge the batteries or leave them charging overnight
• Tamper with, modify, or attempt to repair a PMD/PAB on your own
• Charge PMDs or PABs or its batteries near combustible substances or along an escape path

In short, think about the safety of others and practice caution if you own a PMD/PAB. One little mistake could be very, very costly.