Typically, when a fridge puts your life in danger, it’s because of all the cakes and leftover cups of bubble tea inside it.
But for residents of a condominium in Hougang, their fridge could have burned their house down.
Built-in Fridges in Hougang Condo to be Removed After They Caused 4 Fires in 2 Months
In the last two months alone, four separate fires have been reported at Riversails Condominium.
And curiously, all of them have been linked to the built-in refrigerators in houses there.
Around 1,377 units of these Electrolux refrigerators were installed in the Hougang condo, but all of them will now be removed.
Enterprise Singapore (ESG), which oversees the safety of household products, said this is a precautionary measure.
Latest Incident
The latest fire occurred in a sixth-floor unit of the condominium on Tuesday (20 Apr).
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to a fire involving a fridge at around 6.40pm.
Members of the public managed to put out the fire using a hose reel and a fire extinguisher before the SCDF arrived.
About 25 people were evacuated and no injuries were reported.
Before that, fires took place on 7, 14, and 26 March, as well as on 13 April.
In total, seven incidents involving fridge fires have occurred at the condominium since 2018.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the fires were caused by the failure of the refrigerator’s motor capacitor, which is a device that holds charges of electricity in refrigerators.
Supplier Denies Fault But Offers Goodwill Payments
According to ST, the supplier of the fridges, Electrolux, acknowledged that while the fires are “associated” with its fridges, no defect or fire hazard has been linked to the fridges.
It added that investigations to establish the root cause of the fires are still ongoing.
“We continue to advise and request that investigations of external factors take place at Riversails, including stability of power supply and electrical infrastructure of the affected buildings and sites,” it said.
Despite this, the supplier has offered residents a one-time “goodwill payment” of either S$600 or S$1,200 in exchange for the appliances in their apartment.
But if residents accept this offer, they “voluntarily release Electrolux from any claims,” an Electrolux spokesperson said.
“The goodwill payment offered by Electrolux is not a compensation as investigations are still ongoing and the root cause behind the incidents is not yet ascertained.”
As of Tuesday, around 80% of residents at the condo have reached out to Electrolux. Those who have not done so may call Electrolux at 6727 3699 or email them at [email protected] for assistance.
ESG has advised consumers to stop using these refrigerators.
The affected refrigerators have the model number ENN2754AOW, with serial numbers starting with 512 and below.
Featured Image: Google Maps
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