\n<\/p>\n
Two people were taken to hospital after a Personal Mobility Device (PMD) caught fire along the corridor of an HDB block in Woodlands on Sunday (March 22).<\/p>\n
According to a video sent by a reader to Shin Min Daily News, thick smoke was billowing from the corridor of a corner unit. Several Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel were seen putting out the blaze as well as moving debris that was blocking the stairway, reported Shin Min.<\/p>\n
Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the SCDF said they were alerted to a fire at Block 693D Woodlands Avenue 6 at about 6pm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The blaze involved a PMD in the common corridor on the 12th floor and was extinguished using a hose reel.<\/p>\n
One person was assessed by SCDF paramedics for smoke inhalation and was taken to Singapore General Hospital. Another person who felt unwell was taken to Woodlands Health Campus.<\/p>\n
Preliminary findings indicate that the fire likely started from the PMD’s battery, said SCDF. It minded members of the public to avoid extended or overnight charging, and to refrain from modifying devices or using non-original batteries.<\/p>\n
When Shin Min reporters arrived at the scene, the affected corridor was observed to be covered in soot, with fallen electrical wires and ash scattered across the floor. The unit’s main gate and emergency exit were also badly burnt.<\/p>\n
The stairwell was cluttered with miscellaneous items, including shelves, bed frames, food delivery bags and trolleys.<\/p>\n
At least one personal mobility device and five bicycles belonging to the flat owner were parked in the corridor, reported the Chinese daily.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A 23-year-old resident living on the 13th floor of the affected block told Shin Min that she had heard three explosions and detected a strong odour before seeing flames rising from the corridor below.<\/p>\n
She added that during the evacuation, her mother saw a woman struggling to breathe who had to be assisted by authorities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The owner of the PMD, a 59-year-old food delivery driver who was not at home at the time of the incident, told Shin Min that he had been at his mother’s house celebrating Hari Raya and only learned of the fire after receiving a call from the police.<\/p>\n
“The vehicle that caught fire was one I used for food delivery, but it had been faulty for six months. When I took it for repairs, they told me the battery was not working,” he said.<\/p>\n
“There was no space to keep it inside the house, so I left it in the corridor. I don’t understand why the authorities said the incident was caused by a battery problem.”<\/p>\n
The man added that he owns another PMD, which he usually stores inside his home, and that there have been no incidents in the past six to seven years.<\/p>\n
[[nid:729917]]<\/p>\n