Personnel from Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) responded to a fire at Block 27 New Upper Changi Road in Bedok on Wednesday (Mar 9).
Like other fires in Singapore over the past few years, this one is likely to have been started by a personal mobility device which was being charged in the living room at the time of the fire, the SCDF said in a Facebook post.
The fourth-floor unit blaze happened at arpound midday, with SCDF responding to it at 1:15 pm.
One resident of the unit escaped on his own, carrying a baby whom he told The Straits Times is his nephew. He told the firefighters there were three other people in the flat.
“A few firefighters swiftly made their way into the burning unit and rescued three unconscious persons from a room while other firefighters battled the fire to prevent it from spreading,” SCDF said in its post.
Thankfully, they were able to put the fire out with just one water jet.
One of the women rescued had stopped breathing and SCDF personnel had to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on her before taking her to Changi General Hospital.
She was one of four people taken to CGH and Singapore General Hospital (SGH), including a neighbour, a woman who received burns on her shoulders as she was escaping her unit before SCDF staff came on the scene.
As a precaution, police evacuated about 50 residents in all.
“Preliminary investigation into the cause of the fire indicates that it was of electrical origin from a personal mobility device (PMD) which was being charged in the living room at the time,” said the SCDF..
Its personnel also found two additional power-assisted bicycles at the site of the fire; one was inside the flat, and the other was outside.
In its post, SCDF reminded the public on the importance of preventing PMD fires. This is its infographic with useful reminders.
SCDF cautions: “Non-UL2272 PMDs and any form of modifications to PMDs pose a fire risk and threaten public safety. Owners of these devices are strongly encouraged to dispose of their devices at the appropriate recyclers. More details: http://go.gov.sg/amrules.”.
/TISG