Bukit Batok Flat Catches Fire After PMD Explodes; Residents Rush To Help Before SCDF Arrives

Bukit Batok Fire Originated On 26th Floor Of Blk 293D

In the early hours of Thursday (18 Jul), a fire broke out on the 26th floor of Block 293D in Bukit Batok.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) responded to the fire at 12.40am and successfully put it out. Their Facebook post stated that the cause of the fire was unknown.

However, a member of parliament, Mr Murali Pillai revealed that the fire was caused by 2 e-scooters an hour before SCDF’s post. In Mr Murali’s Facebook post, he thanked residents for their help.

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E-scooters caused Bukit Batok fire

Unfortunately, an e-scooter exploding isn’t uncommon. Just last month, an e-scooter exploded and a man suffered 80% burns.

This time, the fire originated from 2 e-scooters. The scooters probably exploded, causing the unit to be set ablaze.

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Residents rushed to help

Before the SCDF even arrived, the unit was already “heavily smoke-logged” from the fire.

However, instead of panicking, community volunteers of Zone 12 Residents Network decided to help.

When the police ordered the evacuation of over 70 residents, they opened the Residents Network Centre to house the affected parties.

Residents Network Centre
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A video even showed residents helping the SCDF personnel with a fire hose when they arrived.

Everyone was safe

Thankfully, the first-responders, SPF and SCDF’s brave actions resulted in 0 fatalities.

Firefighters from the SCDF managed to break into the smoke-logged unit with breathing apparatus and put out the fire with 2 water jets.

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While putting out the fire, they rescued a man and woman from the unit before they were too seriously injured. The man suffered burns while the woman inhaled too much smoke.

Guidelines to charging your PMDs

As for personal mobility device (PMD) riders, you can follow these guidelines to avoid similar accidents.

• Charge your PMD away from flammable material
• Don’t charge your PMD immediately after using
• Don’t leave the battery charging even after it’s full — especially overnight

MS News hopes that all PMD riders will follow these guidelines properly, so there will be fewer of such incidents. We also wish the injured a swift recovery.

Featured image from Facebook and Facebook.