Two fires
caused by charging of e-scooters in two days
SINGAPORE: The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said on
Wednesday (Nov 8) that there has been a spike in fire incidents
involving personal mobility devices recently, with two such
incidents occurring over the past two days.
Both incidents were caused by the charging of electric
scooters.
The SCDF were alerted to the first incident at about 10.40am on
Tuesday at Block 260, Yishun Street 22. Items in the bedroom were
destroyed and four residents were taken to hospitals, the SCDF said
in a Facebook post.
The second incident happened on Wednesday morning at about
6.30am at Block 548, Pasir Ris Street 51, where items on the flat's
balcony were destroyed. No injuries were reported.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the fires were caused by
the charging of personal mobility devices (PMDs), SCDF said.
"The popularity of personal mobility devices such as electric
scooters in Singapore has risen in recent years. There has also
been a spike in fire incidents involving the PMDs," SCDF
said.
There were 31 cases of fires involving PMDs from January to
September this year, up from 19 cases over the same period last
year.
Users of personal mobility devices, such as electric bicycles,
should take steps not to overcharge the battery and avoid charging
them overnight, said SCDF in the Facebook post.
It added that the batteries should not be placed near combustible
materials while charging.
Source: CNA/kc