SINGAPORE – Two fires involving personal mobility devices (PMDs) broke out in residential units on Saturday (June 8).

In a Facebook post on Saturday, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that they responded to two fires in Ang Mo Kio and Marine Terrace.

One of the fires was reported at around 5.35pm at a 13th-floor flat at Block 52 Marine Terrace. It involved a PMD in the kitchen and was extinguished by the resident with buckets of water.

The resident suffered burns and was taken to Singapore General Hospital.

The SCDF was alerted to the other fire at a flat on the sixth floor of Block 301 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 at 10.45am.

The fire, which involved a PMD battery, broke out in a bedroom and was extinguished by SCDF officers using two compressed air foam backpacks. There were no reported injuries.

According to preliminary investigations, both fires originated from PMD batteries which were being charged.

In the Facebook post, the SCDF advised the public to take several precautions to prevent PMD-related fires:

– Avoid overcharging PMD batteries, especially when leaving them to charge overnight.

– When charging such batteries, place them on hard, flat surfaces to allow optimal dissipation of heat.

– Do not place the battery being charged, and power-assisted bicycles (PABs) or PMDs, near combustible materials or along an escape path.

– Look out for any damage or deformities on the batteries, such as bloated, corroded batteries or powdery batteries.

In 2018, there were 74 reported fires involving PABs and PMDs.

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