Singapore – The neighbour of a man who died from severe burn injuries after his personal mobility device (PMD) caught fire in a lift shared hearing “funny noises”, which brought attention to the incident.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and police responded to a fire on the second floor of Block 537 Woodlands Drive 16 at about 11:25 pm on Thursday.
The fire involved a PMD in a lift and was extinguished by members of the public using buckets of water prior to SCDF’s arrival, said SCDF in a Facebook post.
Member of Parliament Vikram Nair (Sembawang) said in a separate post that the fire had grievously injured the rider and caused a serious fire in the lift, requiring evacuation of residents in the lower floors.
“Two families who saw the victim coming out of the lift rushed into action and helped douse the fire on him.”
SCDF confirmed that the man was conveyed to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. Unfortunately, the man subsequently succumbed to his severe burn injuries sustained in the accident.
A neighbour who lived nearest to the lift told Channel News Asia that he heard “funny noises” that sounded like “popping tiles” while playing with his phone in his room.
After seeing black smoke entering his flat, the neighbour immediately called SCDF and the police.
Former MP Amrin Amin also took to Facebook to share that the victim was a “kind, gentle boy.”
He mentioned how the PMD rider would help him deliver biryani to needy residents in Woodlands during Ramadan in 2018 and 2019.
Mr Amrin and the SCDF urged those who have non-UL2272-certified PMDs to dispose of the device at an appropriate recycler.
“Non-UL2272 PMDs and any form of modifications to PMDs pose a fire risk and threaten public safety,” said SCDF.
Members of the public can dispose of PMDs at any KGS Pte Ltd collection point at no cost until Jun 30, 2021./TISG
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