SINGAPORE: The residents at Block 10 Jalan Batu are grappling with the extensive damage caused by a massive fire that broke out at a ninth-floor unit due to a charging electric bike on Thursday (20 Apr).
The female homeowner of the unit escaped the fire with her domestic helper, while a resident in a neighbouring unit was later taken to Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation. About 80 residents were evacuated from the area as firefighters extinguished the blaze.
The fire is believed to be related to an explosion from a charging electric bicycle in the living room of the affected unit.
While there were no fatalities, the blaze completely gutted the affected unit and caused significant damage to some of the units above the home where the fire broke out.
One resident who lived on a higher floor told Channel 8 news that he rushed to protect his pregnant wife and mother as the three escaped after noticing the fire. After returning home, they found their ceiling, walls, and floor tiles were blackened and required repairs.
Revealing that he heard a loud explosion-like noise at 7.08 pm on the night of the incident, the resident recounted that he saw thick grey-black smoke rising from the three open windows in his home, which soon filled the entire living room. He said:
“At that time, my wife and I were standing at the door and were about to go downstairs for a walk. My mother was eating in the dining room. As soon as I saw the smoke wafting in and my wife was pregnant, I hurriedly took them downstairs.”
Sharing that he did not bother to close the windows in his rush, the resident said that his living room is covered with black dust and that he has to get someone to assess the damage and repair costs.
Another resident on the ninth floor said the authorities allowed residents to return to their homes around 9.40 pm after the fire was put out. The damage was so extensive for at least two neighbouring households that they packed their bags and left their units to stay somewhere else temporarily.
A resident on the 11th floor said that his entire family stayed up all night cleaning the ground until 4 am, removing the black dust that had invaded their home.
Channel 8 reporters who visited the area yesterday said that the exterior walls of several units on the 9th to 12th floors had been blackened by thick smoke, and an area outside the ground floor of the HDB block has been fenced off, with fragments of debris scattered on the ground.
The corridors from the 8th to the 12th floor reportedly still had a pungent smell of smoke, and there were black footprints on the ground. The pungent smell was most obvious on the floor of the fire unit.
Three workers who claimed to be employed by the town council were seen by Channel 8 reporters installing water pipes in the flat where the fire started. One of the workers said that almost all the furnishings in the living room, kitchen, and toilet were burned, and the damage to the three bedrooms was relatively minor.
The incident has once again raised concerns about the safe use and charging of e-bikes. The Civil Defense Force advises the public to follow safe charging practices, including using approved charging equipment and not leaving batteries unattended while charging.
Massive blaze at Jalan Batu HDB flat was allegedly caused by charging e-bike