Before stricter safety regulations over personal mobility devices (PMDs) were introduced, countless PMD-related fires occurred, typically while charging.
In fact, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) attended to 102 fires caused by PMDs in 2019.
And one of these sadly led to the death of a 40-year-old man.
Died After Rescuing Dogs From PMD-related Fire
On 17 July 2019, Goh Keng Soon picked his wife up from work and headed to their flat in Bukit Batok Street 21.
At home, he informed her that his Speedway-brand PMD had cut off, and began charging it in the living room next to his wife’s two PMDs.
They watched television until going to bed just before midnight.
At around 12.30 am the next day, Mrs Goh heard noises from the living room and woke her husband up thinking there was someone was in the house.
But when they opened the door, black smoke poured into their room instead. The woman tried calling 995 twice, but the reception was bad.
She eventually managed to confirm her address with SCDF, who told her that they were on their way.
The couple planned to wait in their bathroom, but when the man heard his two dogs barking, he decided to rescue them and told his wife to stay inside the bathroom.
Not long after, the woman heard her husband scream and tried to open the bathroom door, but the handle was too hot to touch.
When the ceiling fixtures began to melt and fall on her, she climbed out of the toilet window and waited on the air-conditioner ledge for help.
The couple’s neighbours tried to put of their fire with an internal hose reel from the lobby of the block, but they were too late.
Died of Multi-Organ Failure
The man was found lying on the floor of the common bathroom while his wife was on the aircon ledge outside. The two dogs were rescued in the end.
The couple was taken to hospital and Mr Goh was in critical condition – he suffered cardiac arrest, and sustained second-degree partial-thickness burns on about 40% of his body.
Sadly, he died two days later on 20 July 2019.
His cause of death was certified as multi-organ failure following cardiac arrest with thermal burns and coronary artery disease.
In findings that were released this week, the coroner ruled his death an unfortunate misadventure.
Cause of Fire
Investigations revealed that the fire had originated in the living room where the PMDs were placed.
Mr Goh’s Speedway PMD was found charging with a two-pin plug inserted into a four-socket extension cord.
The authorities concluded that the fire was primarily caused by the overheating at the two-pin plug and charging port while the Speedway PMD was being charged.
Mr Goh had connected the two-pin plug via a two-pin adapter, but this is not advised.
If a socket is not adapted for such a plug, there may be a loose connection that could cause overheating.
An expert who spoke to CNA gave the following recommendations to prevent such fires from breaking out:
- Charge PMDs or their batteries in a fully ventilated flat space and away from combustible materials
- Do not leave charging devices unattended for an extended period of time or overnight
- Promptly replace any faulty adapters or chargers
- Regularly examine batteries for damage or deformities
- Buy and use only PMDs with the UL2272 certification mark
- Do not modify PMDs
- Avoid exposing it to water
Featured Image: Facebook (Murali Pillai)
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