A fire broke out in a sixth-storey flat at Block 412A Fernvale Link in the early hours of Wednesday (Sept 2). Fortunately, no casualties were reported.
The incident was reported by the Singapore Civil Defence Force on their official Facebook page later the same day. SCDF was alerted to the fire at 1.40am. They donned breathing apparatus before making a forced entry into the affected unit.
Firefighters managed to rescue the unit’s four occupants and their pet dog. Subsequently, the four occupants were sent to the Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation.
Neighbours across made a timely escape
According to TNP, a resident living across the affected unit happened to be awake during the firefighters’ rescue mission.
He was in the toilet when he heard the loud noises, and quickly woke his three roommates up after noticing the commotion outside. They escaped the scene, along with 70 other residents who were evacuated by the police.
SCDF acted promptly to control the damage. The firefighters used a water jet to extinguish the fire, which was inducing thick smokes and a strong burning smell.
Fire caused by charging PMD
In SCDF’s Facebook post, it is stated that preliminary investigation determined the cause of the fire as “of electrical origin from a Personal Mobility Device (PMD) that was charging at the time of the fire.”
Earlier this year, SCDF released annual statistics that indicated an alarming increase in PMD-related fires last year.
The number of incidents almost doubled in 2019, resulting in 46 injuries and even one fatality. A 40-year-old man rescued from a PMD-related fire in Bukit Batok died in the hospital.
There were 102 such fires last year, as compared to 2018’s 52 cases. Going back five years, the rising curve is an even steeper one: there was only one reported incident of PMD-related fire in 2015.
All incidents involved non-UL2272 certified devices
In February, SCDF director of operations Assistant Commissioner (AC) Daniel Seet had revealed that all recorded incidents involved non-UL2272 certified devices. Apparently, some modifications to the PMDs’ batteries are contributing to their proneness to combustion.
While the certification of the PMD in this latest incident remains unclear, SCDF urges the public to dispose of non-UL2272 certified devices at appropriate recycling sites.
A list of approved disposal locations can be found here.
Take safety precautions
Regardless, it’s important for PMD owners to take safety precautions against fire risks. Since PMDs are a relatively new mode of transportation, they have yet to conform to any reliable safety standards.
In the meantime, it’s pivotal to abide by safety regulations that are already established. For instance, only purchase devices with the UL2272 certification, which is an authorized fire safety certification.
Although with the current ban on Personal Mobility Devices on both the roads and pavements, why would anyone still want to get a PMD?
Speaking of PMD incidents, here’s one incident that happened just this week which shows why PMDs are dangerous:
Watch this for a complete summary of what REALLY happened to Qoo10, and why it's like a K-drama:
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