A female passenger’s power bank self-ignited inside an MRT train carriage, burning into two charred metal pieces, causing smoke to fill the station and forcing more than 600 people to evacuate.
Incident Details
The affected passenger, Ms. Chen (name transliterated from Mandarin), a 28-year-old woman, was planning to take the MRT to meet friends at around 5:25 PM on Friday, 7 Mar 2025.
When the train arrived at Raffles Place MRT station, white smoke suddenly appeared in the carriage, and she looked down to discover the source was the power bank in her handbag.
Ms. Chen told zaobao.sg that she was using her phone at the time of the incident, while her power bank was stored in her handbag and not in use.
When thick smoke appeared around her, she initially didn’t realize it was coming from her power bank.
“People were standing all around me, but suddenly I noticed everyone moving away. My right shoulder felt very hot, and that’s when I realized the smoke was coming from the power bank in my bag,” she said.
Her first reaction was to pull off her handbag and run out of the carriage with other passengers.
“After I got out, I saw everyone taking photos of me with their phones. I felt very nervous, like I had done something wrong.”
According to her description, there were no visible flames, but white smoke lingered on the platform.
MRT station staff quickly arrived and used fire extinguishers to cool down the power bank.
“After they handled it, the train doors closed and my bag was left inside. But the smoke still didn’t clear, and the bag moved a bit, possibly from an explosion.”
Ms. Chen suffered minor burns to her hand, with her face and back also stained with black smoke.
Power Bank Investigation
Ms. Chen revealed that she had purchased the power bank about five months ago through an official online channel and had never experienced any problems with it.
SMRT kept the power bank and handbag for further investigation.
According to photos SMRT provided to her, the power bank appeared to have split into two pieces, completely blackened and deformed.
“I think the bag protected me. If I had put it in my pocket as I usually do, my leg might be gone by now. I’m also thankful I didn’t bring it abroad on a plane,” she said with lingering fear.
She hopes this incident will make the public more aware of electrical safety.
The genuine leather handbag that contained the power bank was returned to her on Saturday (8 Mar). Only the metal components remained intact, while the rest was charred black.
An access card inside the bag was half-burned, a wired earphone was missing, and a chemical burning smell was noticeable.
SMRT Metro President Lam Sheau Kai said someone activated the emergency button on an eastbound train at Raffles Place station around 5:30 PM.
Station staff responded quickly, discovering that a passenger’s power bank had caught fire.
Staff used fire extinguishers to put out the fire and made sure all 650 passengers on the train evacuated safely.
Station staff also activated the station’s ventilation system to disperse the smoke.
After the affected train was moved to the depot for inspection, train services returned to normal.
Lam added that station staff provided basic first aid to the passenger, but she declined to be taken to the hospital by ambulance. No one else was injured.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force confirmed that the train was later moved to Changi Depot, where SCDF personnel were sent to investigate the cause of the fire.
Initial investigations suggest the fire might be related to electrical issues within the power bank.
The power bank was a Xiaomi brand product. Ms. Chen contacted Xiaomi’s customer service in China but received no response.
However, Singapore’s after-sales service staff, who accompanied her to retrieve her handbag, told zaobao.sg that the power bank is currently with the fire department and cannot be retrieved for testing yet.
The company will actively handle compensation and internal review matters.
The staff member also revealed that based on personal experience, power bank self-ignition usually occurs due to compression and puncture, but for this case, there’s no objective answer yet.
Xiaomi responded to inquiries saying they have contacted the affected customer.
“Our focus is on confirming no one was injured, providing necessary support, and conducting a thorough review to maintain our quality standards.”
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